
<^^^/^^^^^ ^^ 







TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES 

IN 

CANADA 

AND 

THE INDIAN TERRITORIES 



7wo hundred and fifty copies of Henrys Travels and 
Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories have 
been printed for the United States, 

TSro.....4?.a<^. 



Travels & Adventures 

In Canada and the Indian 
Territories 

Betweeti the Tears i'/6o and lyyd 
By 

ALEXANDER HENRY 

Fur Trader 



New Edition, Edited with Notes, Illustrative and 
Biographical, by 

JAMES BAIN 

Chief Librarian, Toronto Public Library 



mfi 



BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, ^ COMPANY 

iqoi 



ICntered according to Act of the Parliament of 
Canada, in the year nineteen hundred and one, by 
George N. Morang & Company, Limited, at the 
Department of Agriculture. 






sy* 



^ 



<^"^ -b 

^v,^" 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



Alexander Henry was born in New Jersey in 
August, 1739.' His parents were reputable people in 
the middle rank of life, who are said to have come 
from the West of England, and to have been connected 
with Matthew Henry, the Biblical commentator. Of 
his early days nothing is known, but it is evident 
from his book and from the position he assumed in 
official and commercial circles that he received a good 
English education. When we first make his acquain- 
tance he was in his twenty-first year, and had joined 
Amherst's army, not as a soldier, but in a " premature 
attempt to share in the fur trade of Canada, directly 
on the conquest of the country." Wolfe's victory at 
Quebec in the previous year had awakened the English 
traders to the opportunity presented, of taking over 
the fur trade which the French had opened up, and 
Amherst's large army was watched with great interest 
as it swept away the last remnant of French control. 
The " Travels and Adventures " which followed 
" occupy a period of sixteen years, commencing nearly 
with the author's setting out in life." It is improbable 
that his first acquaintance with the character and 
requirements of this particular trade was to be made 
on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and we may safely 
assume that he had had some previous knowledge of 
it in one of the trading establishments at Albany or 
New York. 



vi. TRAVELS, ETC. 

In Boston, in 1766, a book of 160 pages was pub- 
lished, entitled " Account of the Captivity of William 
Henry in 1755, and of his residence among the 
Senneka Indians six years and seven months, till 
he made his escape from them" which may be an 
explanation of his introduction to the fur trade. Of 
this book no copy seems to be known. It cannot 
be traced in the catalogues of any of the great 
American or English libraries, and is not to be found 
in the bibliographies of Sabine, Rich, Field or Pill- 
ing. Of William Henry we only know that he 
was a trader with the Ohio Indians, and was made 
prisoner by the Senecas, and in the absence of his 
book have no means of tracing him, but the name is 
not a common one. At the time of William's cap- 
tivity, Alexander was sixteen years old. It is not 
improbable that the first named was a near relative, 
perhaps uncle, and that Alexander had been by 
him introduced to the trade while very young, and 
that finding William did not return after four years 
absence, had ventured what goods he possessed in an 
expedition on his own account. The case is strength- 
ened, also, by the fact that Henry's eldest son, born 
long after in Montreal, was named William, and that 
about 1787 a nephew named Alexander Henry, Jr., 
joined him there, who afterward became himself a 
noteworthy North- Wester, and whose journals have 
recently been most copiously edited by the late Elliott 
Coues. But whatever had been his connection witt 
trading, previous to his setting out, it is quite evident 
that he had not spent much time among the Indians 
from his own statement that " a bark canoe was a 
vehicle to which I was altogether a stranger " as well 



EDITOR'S NOTE. vii. 

as to the snow-shoes, " an article of equipment which 
1 never used before." In the London Chronicle of 
June 23rd and 25th, 1768, are given two extracts 
from William Henry's book which exhibit a similar 
interest in the mental and social condition of the 
Indians to that which characterizes Alexander Henry's 
writings, and as they are apparently the only portions 
now extant, they are worth reprinting. 

" This writer, who is an Englishman, gives a plain 
short account of his education in human learning at 
an academy in Northampton ; his settlement in 
America, as a trader with the Ohio Indians ; his 
being surprised and made a prisoner at the breaking 
out of the late war ; his spiritual change or conversion 
during his sickness and other afflictions, and then 
among a multitude of other particulars relating to 
the Indians, says : 

" I had always a facility in learning languages 
and the pains I took *after my adoption to acquire 
theirs, with the proficiency I soon made in it, in- 
gratiated me a good deal with the Indians, so that in 
this third year I found myself much respected. Old 
Canassatego; a warrior, counsellor, and the chief man 
of our village, used to come frequently to smoke and 
talk with me, while I worked at my new f business, 
and many of the younger men would come and sit 
with him, pleased to hear our conversations. As he 
soon saw I was curious on that head he took a good 
deal of pains to instruct me in the principles of their 
eloquence, an art (it may seem strange to say it but it 
is strictly true) carried much higher among these 
savages than it is now in any part of Europe, as it is 
their only polite art, as they practice it from their 
infancy, as everything of consequence is transacted in 

* All their prisoners that are not burnt are adopted and 
incorporated with some family, and, of course, with the nation. 
t Mending of gun locks. 



viii. TRAVELS, ETC. 

councils, and all the force of their government consists 
in persuasion. He would also often enquire of me 
concerning our wars, history, customs, arts, etc., and 
sometimes about our religious opinions. I then 
regretted that I had so unhappily refused the advan- 
tage once in my power of acquiring a store of divine 
knowledge under the pious instructions of Dr. Dodd- 
ridge, which my friends of all things wished, intend- 
ing me for the ministry, but my mind was extremely 
averse to it, and I had abruptly left him against their 
advice, which obstinacy of mine was the beginning of 
my misfortunes. But enough of that." The writer 
then goes on to relate sundry conversations he had at 
different times with the Indians on religious subjects 
occasioned by his acquainting them with parts of our 
scripture history. These we pass over, as containing 
little entertainment or information except the follow- 
ing, by which we may learn how imperfect the Indian 
ideas are of God, what partial notions they have of 
the creation, and how widely different from ours their 
opinions ai'e of those regulations of commerce by 
which one nation proposes to make advantage to 
itself in distressing the trade of others. The Euro- 
peans think such regulations wise and good ; the 
Indian it seems, the highest folly and wickedness. 

" While I was musing in what manner best to 
explain this matter to his understanding, Konnedohaga, 
the young warrior, took up the discourse, and said : 
' You tell us that the great Manitta made all these 
things in the first six days. I find we know some 
things that you do not know. Your book does not 
tell you everything. At least if your Manitta made 
all the things of your country in the first six days it 
was not so in this Indian country, for some things 
were not made till many generations after, and they 
were made by our Manitta's daughter. I will tell you, 
says he, how it happened, as I learned it when I last 
hunted among the Oneidas. Nine Oneida warriors 
passing near a certain hill not far from the head of the 



EDITOR'S NOTE. ix. 

Sasquehanah* saw a most beautiful young woman 
descend naked from the clouds, and seat herself on 
the ground upon that hill. Then they said, this is 
the great Manitta's daughter ; let us go to her, 
welcome her into our countrj^ and present her some of 
our venison. They gave her a fawn's tongue broiicd, 
which she eat, and, thanking them, said : ' Come to this 
place again after twelve moons and you will find where 
I now sit some things you have never yet seen, and 
that will do you good.' So saying she put her hands 
on the ground, arose, went up into the clouds and left 
them. They came accordingly after twelve moons 
and found growing, where she had pressed the ground 
with her right hand, corn,-|- where with her left hand 
beans J and where her back parts had pressed it, there 
grew tobacco.' At this origin of tobacco all the 
young Indians laughed, but old Canassatego, reproving 
them, and the teller of the story said, ' You are a 
young man or you would not have told before this 
white man such a story. It is a foolish Oneida tale. 
If you tell him such tales what can you expect but to 
make him laugh at our Indian stories as much as you 
sometimes do at his ? Hearken to me, I will tell you and 
him all the true story of the beginning of this country 
and the making of all things in it, such as I long since 
learnt it from my mother, who had it from her mother, 
and so on backwards for a hundred generations.' || 

* A river of that name. 

t That is Indian corn or maize. 

J What we call French or kidney beans, corn, beans and 
tobacco are the three principle articles of Indian agriculture. 

II The Indians having no letters their women are the 
repositaries of history, and are present for that purpose in all 
public councils and at all treaties. It is their business to 
remember and to transmit public facts and traditions by relat- 
ing them often to their children. 



X. TRAVELS, ETC. 

" When we sat silent a few minutes he said : ' White 
man., liearken to me ; hear me Coseagon !* You say 
there is but one great good Manitta. You know of no 
more. If there were but one, how unhappy must he 
be without friends, without companions, and without 
that equality in conversation by which pleasure is 
mutually given and received. I tell you there are more 
than a hundredf of them; they live in the sun and in 
the moon; they love one another as brethren; they 
visit and converse with each other, and they some- 
times visit though they do not often converse with us. 
Every country has its great good Manitta who first 
peopled that country. I am now going to tell you 
how my country was made and peopled. 

" Then raising his voice and entering into the 
council style and manner of speaking and with that 
modulation, which I may call the quoting tone, being 
what they use when repeating messages, treaties or 
anything that has been said by others in former times, 
distant places, or preceding councils ; a tone so particu ■ 
lar, that if you come into a council in the middle of a 
speech you can tell whether the person speaking is 
delivering his own sentiments or reciting those of 
another, this tone having the same effect in their 
speeches and answering nearly the same end, with our 
marginal inverted commas in writing, to distinguish 
borrowed passages quoted as authorities; only that 
the Indians have three differences in the quoting 
tone, none of which we have in writing, viz., the 
approving accent, the disapproving accent, and the 
uncertain or doubting, and that there is something 
measured or musical in all these tones. I say, Canassa- 
tego, in the quoting or historical tone with the approv- 
ing accent and with an air of great authority and^. 

* The Indian name given to the author at his adoption. 

+ They commonly use a hundred to express any great, 
unknown or intermediate number. 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xi. 

dignity, went on with his account of the manner in 
which his country was made and peopled. 

" ' When our good Manitta raised Akanishionegy* 
out of the great waters he said to his brethren, " How 
fine a country is this ! I will make the red menf the 
best of men to enjoy it." Then with five handfuls of 
red seeds like the effffs of flies, did he strow the fertile 
fields of Onondao-a. Little worms came out of the 
seeds and penetrated the earth, where the spirits who 
had never yet seen the light entered into and united 
with them. Manitta watered the earth with his rain ; 
the sun warmed it ; the worms with the spirits in 
them grew, putting forth little arms and legs and 
moved the light earth that covered them. After 
nine moons they came forth perfect boj^s and girls. 
Manitta covered them with his mantle of warm purple 
cloud and nourished them with milk from his finger 
ends. Nine summers did he nurse them, and nine sum- 
mers more did he instruct them how to live. In the 
meantime he had made for their use trees, plants and 
animals of various kinds. Akanishionegy was covered 
with woods and tilled with creatures. Then he 
assembled his children together and said, " Ye are five 
nations, for ye sprang each from a different handful 
of the seed I sowed ; but ye are all brethren, and I 
am your father, for I made ye all ; I have nursed 
and brought you up : — Mohocks, I have made you 
bold and valiant, and see I give you corn for your 
food. Oneidas, I have made you patient of pain 
and of hunger; the nuts and fruits of the trees are 
yours. Sennekers, I have made you industrious 
and active ; beans do I give you for nourishment. 
Cayugas, I have made you strong, friendly and gener- 

* The country of the Five Nations. 

t They thus distinguish from white men and black men. But 
their complexion is not properly red ; it is rather the colour of 
copper or mohogany. 



xii. TRAVELS, ETC. 

ous ; ground nuts and every root shall refresh you. 
Onoudagoes, I have made you wise, just and eloquent; 
squashes and grapes have I given you to eat and 
tobacco to smoke in the council. The beasts, birds 
and fishes I have given to you all in common. As I 
have loved and taken care of you all so do you love 
and take care of one another. Communicate freely to 
each other the good things I have given you, and 
learn to imitate each others virtues. I have made 
you the best people in the world, and I give you the 
best country. You will defend it from the invasion 
of other nations, from the children of other Manittas, 
and keep possession of it for yourselves while the sun 
and moon give light and the waters run in the rivers. 
This you shall do if you observe my words. Spirits, 
I am now about to leave you. The bodies I have 
given you will in time grow old and wear out, so that 
you will be weary of them, or from various accidents 
they will become unfit for your habitation and you 
will leave them. I cannot remain here always to give 
you new ones. 

" I have great affairs to mind in distant places, and 
I cannot aoain attend so longr to the nursins: of 
children. I have enabled you, therefore, among your- 
selves to produce new bodies; to suppl}'- the place of 
old ones, that every one of you when he parts with 
his old habitation may in due time find a new one 
and never wander longer than he choses under the 
earth, deprived of the light of the sun.* 



* They believe spirits ramble about under tlie earth in a 
country where there is only a kind of twilight. That in that 
couuti'y there are also the spirits of birds, beasts and fishes, and 
even of trees and plants. That all these spirits, a spirit can 
see and handle without hands, but if he comes again above 
ground he finds he cannot see the sun or move even a grain of 
sand without eyes and hands, and, therefore, he seizes the first 
opportunity of getting a new body by entering and possessing 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xiii. 

" Nourish and instruct your children as I have 
nourished and instructed you. Be just to all men 
and kind to strangers that come among- you. So shall 
you be happy and beloved by all, and I myself will 
sometimes visit and assist you." Saying this he 
wrapped himself in a bright cloud and went like a 
swift arrow to the sun, where his brethren rejoiced at 
his return. From thence he often looked at Akanish- 
ionegy; and, pointing, showed with pleasure to his 
brothers the country he had formed and the nations 
he had produced to inhabit it. 

" Here the five nations lived long and happily, 
communicating freely to each other as their wants re- 
quired, all the good things that had been given them, 
and generations had succeeded generations when the 
great evil Manitta came among them and put evil 
thoughts into their hearts. Then the Mohocks said : 
' We abound in corn which our brothers have not ; 
let us oblige them to give us a great deal of fruits, 
beans, roots, squashes and tobacco for a very little corn, 
so shall we live in idleness and plenty while they 
labour and live hardly.' And in the same manner 
spoke the other nations. Hence arose discord, ani- 
mosity and hatred, insomuch that they were on the 
point of lifting the hatchet against each other and mir- 
ing the ground with brother's blood. Their Father 
saw this from the sun, and was angry with his child- 
ren. A thick blue and red cloud covered all the 
land, and he spoke to them in thunder. ' Wretches,' 

an embrio just forming in its mother's womb, from which 
moment he foroets everything but love co his country. The 
returning spirits of birds, beasts and fishes, they say, do not 
forget anything ; the birds retain the memory of the way of 
walking, ^ying, copulating, and building of nests ; the beasts, 
of walking, coupling, swimming, etc., and the fish of swim- 
ming and other actions which the great spirit first taught them, 
and, therefore, need no fresh teaching in those particulars. 



xiv. TEAVELS, ETC. 

said he, ' did I not freely give to each of you different 
kinds of good things, and those in plent}'-, that each 
might have something in his power to contribute to 
his brother's happiness, and so increase the happiness 
• and strengthen the union of the whole; and do you now 
abuse those gifts to oppress each other ; and would one 
brother, to make himself in imagination, more happy, 
make four brethren in reality more miserable ! Ye 
have become unworthy of the goodness I have shown 
you, and shall no longer enjoy my favours. Then the 
sun of Akanishionegy gave forth darkness instead of 
light, so that the day was darker than the night, the 
rivers ran backwards to the mountains, and, with all 
their fish, re-entered the fountains from whence they 
sprung, forsaking their ancient beds and leaving dry 
the banks they used to water. 

" The clouds v\^ithheld their rain, and carried it away 
to other regions. The surface of the earth became 
dust; whirlwinds filled the air with it, and every 
breathing creature was almost stifled ; every green 
thing withered ; the birds flew away ; the beasts ran 
out of the country, and, last of all, the afflicted people 
famished nearly to death, their dry eyes not having 
even a tear left, departed sorrowing, and were scattered 
among the neighbouring nations, begging everj'^where 
for food from those who despised them for their late 
wickedness to one another. 

" Nine summers passed away, and their distress con- 
tinued. Then the evil spirit left them, for they no 
longer listened to his counsels ; the}^ began mutually 
to feel and to pity one another's misfortunes ; they 
began to love and to help each other. The nations 
among whom they were scattered now began to 
esteem them, and offered to adopt and incorporate " 
them among themselves. But they said : ' No ; we are 
still a people, we chose to continue a people ; perhaps 
our great Manitta will restore us to our country and 
we will then remember this your offered kindness.' 
The great Manitta seeing their hearts changed looked 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xv. 

on them with compassion. He spoke and the sun 
again gave light ; the rivers came again forth from the 
fountains, and ran rejoicing through the delighted 
valleys ; the clouds again showered on the thirsty- 
earth ; the trees and plants renewed their verdure ; 
the birds and beasts retui-ned to the forests, and the 
five nations, with glad and thankful hearts, went back 
to repossess their ancient seats. From that time 
down to the present day it has been an inviolable 
rule and custom among the nations, that every brother 
is welcome to what a brother can spare of the good 
things which the spirit has caused to spring for him 
out of the earth. ' 

" All the Indians applauded Canassatego, and said 
they had heard that good story often, but never before 
so well repeated. Indeed, however absurd and false in 
its facts, it was admirably expressed and delivered. 
In my account of it I have been obliged to drop many 
of the figures, which, being unusual to us, would 
require long explanations, and I must own I think it 
scarce possible in our language (I am sure it is im- 
possible for me) to do Indian eloquence justice. Can- 
assatego then made some remarks himself on the 
story, and told us that the English and French, 
though they called the Indians brothers, had long 
practiced the same wickedness towards them, making 
everything dear that they exchanged with them, and 
even the things they the English and French ex- 
changed with one another. Corlaer,* says he, first 
makes Onontiof pay dearer^ for strbuds and blankets ; 
then Onontio makes Corlaer pay as much dearer for 
beaver ; what, at best, can either of them get by this 
but his own inconvenience and the other's ill-will ? 
But this is not all. It is for these causes that the 

* So they call the Governor or Government of New York. 
t Common name of the Government of Canada. 
I Alluding to duties laid on these commodities. 



xvi. TRAVELS, ETC. 

great spirit of the white people is now angry with 
them, and has left them to lift the hatchet, brother 
against brother, to destroy their own habitations and 
bring misery on both their countries. 

" I could not let all this pass without modestly 
remarking that his account of the beginning of things 
was subject to great uncertainty as being trusted 
to memory only, from woman to woman through so 
many generations, and might have been greatly 
altered, whereas the account I gave them was written 
down by direction of the Great Spirit himself and pre- 
served carefully in a book which was never altered, 
but had ever remained the same and was undoubtedly 
the truth. ' Coseagon,' says Canassatego, ' you are 
yet almost as rude as when you first came among us. 
When young it seems you were not well taught ; you 
did not learn the civil behaviour of men. We excused 
you ; it was the fault of your instructors. But why 
have j^ou not more improved since you have long had 
the opportunity from our example ?* You see I 
always believed your stories,f why do you not believe 
mine ?' Alaguippy and the other Indians kindly 
made some apology for me, saying I should be wiser 
in time, and they concluded with an observation 
which they thought very polite and respectful towards 
me, that my stories might be best for the white people, 
but Indian stories were undoubtedly best for Indians. 

" Now, it is well known that some who have before 
me been among these Indians, have reported highly 
of their stories, as if there were something super-excel- 
lent in them. I have, therefore, given this story of 

* They think themselves the politest people in the world, ^s 
well as the wisest and bravest. 

t That is I never contradict them. Contradiction, or a direct 
denial of the truth of what another says, is among the Indiana 
deemed extremely rude. Great superiority, as of a father to a 
child, or of an old counsellor to some boy, only can excuse it. 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xvii. 

theirs at full length, translated as well as I am able, 
and I can faithfully assure my readers it is one of 
their very best, by which may be seen the miserable 
darkness these poor creatures labour under, and how 
far inferior their best instructions do appear when 
compared with the unerring oracles that we possess 
and the histories contained in them." 

Alexander Henry's adventures commence with his 
descent of the St. Lawrence and his first experience 
of war with the conquest of Fort Levis in September, 
1760. In attempting to run the Cedar Rapids his 
boats were upset and all his goods lost, he escaped with 
difficulty himself. With the capitulation of Mont- 
real, he saw that the opportunity of trading was 
come, and, hurrying back to Albany, " where my 
commercial connections were," secured a fresh supply 
of goods. Winter overtook him at Fort Levis, and he 
spent the season there disposing of his goods to the 
garrison. His adventures on the journey between 
Fort Levis and Montreal are such as we might expect 
from the first experience of a young man among the 
stray Indians demoralized by the war movement of 
the time. It was, however, when thus harassed and 
almost despairing of his life from the threats of the 
Indians and the inclemency of the weather, that his 
feet were directed to the house of a friendly French- 
man, who had ventured into the Indian hunting 
grounds in the North-West, and who captivated him 
with his stories of the fabulous wealth in furs to be 
obtained there. As soon as it was possible after his 
arrival in Montreal, he persuaded General Gage to 
give him permission to set out on a fur-trading expe- 
dition, and after a hurried trip to Albany for fresh 
supplies he started upon his iourney, little thinking 



xviii. TRAVELS, ETC. 

that it would be nearly fifteen years before he would 
again see Montreal. 

Under the French regime furs had been the principal 
object of commerce. The trade, at first confined to 
the neif(hbourhood of the St. Lawrence and the lower 
great lakes was extended by the enterprise of the fur- 
traders, who carried on their operations in spite of the 
government, to Michilimackinac and Lake Superior. 
The failure of the great French companies, principally 
through mismanagement, left the path open to those 
whom Masson calls the " Coureurs des Bois, those 
heroes of the prairie and the forest, regular mixture 
of good and evil, who for long furnished the heroes 
to the modern romances, extravagant by nature, at 
the same time grave and gay, cruel and compas- 
sionate, as credulous as superstitious, and always 
irreliofious. " Two of these, Radisson and Groseilliers, 
had in the seventeenth century been driven into the 
hands of the English, and were instrumental in estab- 
lishing the Hudson's Bay Company. The French Gov- 
ernment were forced to adopt the system of licensing, 
and authorized the establishment of fortified trading 
posts, which were placed under ofiicials charged with 
the oversight of large districts. Prominent among 
these was Michilimackinac, which had grown into 
importance as a convenient meeting place for the 
natives of the lands bordered on Lake Huron, Lake 
Michigan and Lake Superior. From this place, in 
1731, the most adventurous of all the traders, M. La 
Vdrendrye and his sons, set out, and in the interval 
between this date and 1748, had established a series of 
posts extending from the Grand Portage to the Forks 
of the Saskatchewan. There were Fort St. Peter on 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xix. 

Rainy Lake, Fort Sfc. Charles on the Lake of the 
Woods, Fort Maurepas at the mouth of the Winnipeg 
River, Fort Dauphin on the north-west, and Fort La 
Reine on the south side of Lake Manitoba, Fort Rouge 
at the junction of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, 
Fort Bourbon on Cedar Lake, Fort Poskoyac on the 
Saskatchewan, and Fort La Corne at the junction of 
the north and south branches of the same river. It 
only remained for M. de Niverville to plant Fort La 
Jonquiere at the foot of the Rocky Mountains to 
complete their march westward, before the whole 
country passed under the dominion of England. The 
conquest of Canada altered the whole character of 
the trade. Until the country had settled down after 
the war few licenses were issued, but soon the trade 
was made free from all government interference. 
Alexander Henry was among the first to obtain per- 
mission, and, as soon as the weather permitted, started 
for Michilimackinac, travelling by the regular route 
of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron. Passing across 
this lake he found that the Indians had not yet 
recognized the change of government, and that it was 
necessary for him to disguise himself as a Frenchman. 
Michilimackinac had been supplied with a small force 
of English soldiers from Detroit, and was, with the 
exception of the small post on Green Bay, the most 
westerly fortified position in the British Dominion. 
This story, told by Henry, of his adventures in this 
place and of his escape from the massacre has been 
frequently repeated. Parkman, who depends on 
Henry for this portion of his " Conspiracy of Pontiac," 
says : " The authenticity of this very interesting book 
has never been questioned. Henry was living at 



XX. TRAVELS, ETC. 

Montreal as late as the year 1809. la 1797 he, with 
others, claimed, in virtue of Indian grants, large tracts 
of land west of the River Cuyahoga, in the present 
State of Ohio. A letter from him is extant, dated in 
April of that year, in which he offers this land to the 
Connecticut Land Company at one-sixth of a dollar an 
acre." To a Frenchman he was again indebted for a 
new introduction to the fur trade, and, in partnership 
with M. Cadotte, he extended his enterprise to the 
shores of Lake Superior. The mining fever which 
diverted his attention lasted only a short time, when 
he returned to trading, and joined the band of quarrel- 
some traders who had already made the Grand Por- 
tage the principal station in the North- West. From 
Michilimackinac the furs had passed into the hands of 
the English traders at Albany, advantage being taken 
of the ships sailing to Niagara, but the leading spirits 
at the Grand Portage were Canadians, and their furs 
reached Montreal by the Ottawa River. The English 
of New York were hampered by lack of skilled 
labour, but the Canadian traders found ready to their 
hand the French Canadians, the best canoe and bush 
men in the world. Breaking off from the motley 
crowd at the Grand Portage, Thomas Curry was the 
first Canadian to penetrate to the Saskatchewan and 
his success prompted James Finlay to follow. The 
Frobishers and Henry set out in the following year, 
going further north than either of their predecessors. 
Here they came in contact with the Hudson's Bay 
Company, who were nettled at what they conceivecf 
was an invasion of their rights, and by the deter- 
mined manner in which these free-traders settled 
down upon the regular routes of travel to their forta 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxi. 

and secured from the Indians the furs they were 
taking to the agents of the company. The necessity 
for combination among these men to enable them to 
cope with the great company was the preliminary 
step to a more formal union, which ultimately became 
the great rival of the Hudson's Bay Company, and 
was known as the North- West Company. 

Henry's narrative concludes with the account of his 
visit to the Assiniboines on the great prairie, of the 
success of their expedition to the Churchill River, and 
of their return to Montreal in 1776. 

From this date we lose the benefit of the author's 
guidance, but in the Canadian Magazine for April 
and May, 1824, we have a short biography, written 
by a friend, and published during the month in which 
he died. 

" A character such as Mr. Henry could not long 
remain in obscurity ; his arrival in Montreal, after 
an absence during which he suffered so much and 
encountered so many difficulties, soon made him an 
object of public notoriety, and introduced him person- 
ally to the first circles in the society at the time. 
Having signified his intention of visiting England, 
he found many friends ready to furnish him with 
introductory letters, and of whose offers he in some 
cases availed himself. In his visit to Europe it was 
his design to make a tour to France, and among 
others, he was furnished by M. St. Luc la Corne, then 
in this country, with letters to his brother, the cele- 
brated Abbe La Corne, in France. With these docu- 
ments, he sailed for England in the first instance, in 
the year 1776 ; from thence he afterwards went to 
France, where he met a most flattering reception 
from the Abbe, and being by his influence introduced 
to court, was received with such marks of condescen- 



xxii, TRAVELS, ETC. 

sion as made an impression upon his mind which was 
never eradicated. In particular, the remembrance of 
the attention which he received from the unfortunate 
Marie Antoinette was fresh in his memory, and 
mentioned by him only a very few days before his 
death. 

" It ou^ht to be mentioned, as a just tribute to Mr, 
Henry's talents for attentive and correct observation, 
that previously to his departure for England, he 
presented Lord Dorchester, then Governor of Canada, 
with a chart of such parts of the Indian territory as 
he had travelled through ; and the accuracy of this 
chart has been since confirmed in almost every par- 
ticular, by the future surveys of that country which 
have since been made. 

" But neither the kind feelings evinced towards 
Mr. Henry on his arrival in England, nor the hos- 
pitable reception he met with from many respectable 
characters to whom he carried letters, could induce 
him to remain there. A life of inactive pleasure, or 
even of tranquil enjoyment, was not suitable to a 
mind formed as his was. He returned to Canada in 
the spring of 1777, and after revisiting the Indian 
country, he made a second voyage across the Atlantic 
in the fall of the same year. The third and last visit 
he paid to Great Britain was in the year 1780, from 
whence he returned to Montreal in 1781. From this 
period his life presents a scene of less diversity, for 
although he still continued to trade with the Indians, 
he contrived to carry on his business through the 
medium of clerks, whom he sent to the different posts 
in that country in his stead, while he himself fixed 
his residence in Montreal. 

" During his life he had been several times sub- , 
jected to heavy pecuniary losses, from various cas- 
ualties incident to the trade he was engaged in ; he 
had, in fact, realized at different times what might be 
considered a handsome fortune, and been frequently 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxiii. 

deprived of it by some untoward accident or other. 
At last his indefatigable perseverance triumphed and 
reaped its due reward, for at the time when he left 
off his journies to the Indian country, he was pos- 
sessed of a handsome competency ; and soon after 
getting married, he settled to enjoy it in the bosom 
of his family and amidst a circle of highly respectable 
friends. 

" The method in which he now carried on his 
Indian trade necessarily obliged him to engage a 
number of young men as clerks, bome of these, we 
believe, are still alive, and can bear testimony to the 
kind and honourable treatment which they experi- 
enced at his hand ; and who still retain a grateful 
sense of the advantages they reaped from his exten- 
sive experience in this trade.* 

"For some years subsequent to 1781 we find Mr. 
Henry, in addition to his pursuits in the fur trade, 
carrying on business as a general merchant in Mont- 
real. How long he continued to carry on the two 
occupations is not certain, but he ultimately disposed 
of his privileges in the Indian countrj^ to the North- 
West Company, and resigning the active department 
of the business to them, became a dormant partner in 
that firm, where he continued till 1796. Having dis- 
posed of his share in this establishment, he now 
relinquished all connection with the Indian trade, 
and during the rest of his life devoted his whole 
attention to the business of a general merchant. 

" Mr. Henry's high character for correctness, and 
his punctuality in business soon secured to him the 
confidence and esteem of a wide circle of correspon- 
dents. His business increasing beyond what one in- 

*It is unnecessary to enumerate those who were indebted to 
him for his advice and assistance in this way ; but we believe 
J. .1. Astor, Esq., of New York, among others, commenced his 
pursuits in the fur trade under Mr. Henry's direction. 



xxiv. TRAVELS, ETC. 

dividual could attend to, he took an old acquaintance 
and tried friend into partnership with him, about 
twenty-five years before his death, which allowed a 
relaxation from the more arduous duties of business, 
suitable for his advanced age. To his well-known 
talents as a merchant and his firmly established 
character for integrity he was indebted for his 
appointment as King's Auctioneer for the District of 
Montreal, a situation which he received in 1812 and 
retained during the remainder of his days. 

" After spending a life exposed to such trials, hard- 
ships and vicissitudes as we have noticed in the 
course of this memoir, and which nothing but a more 
than usual vigour of constitution could have pro- 
tracted for so long a period, Mr. Henry died in Mont- 
real on April 4th, 1824. The close of his existence 
farther indicated the strength of his constitution : 
for some months previous to his death his friends 
had observed an approaching debility of frame, 
which daily increased, till at last he sunk under no 
specific disease, but from a general decay of nature, 
in the eighty-fifth year of his age. 

" After what has been already stated, little more is 
required to give the attentive reader an idea of the 
prominent parts of Mr. Henry's character. He 
seemed by nature every way formed for the arduous 
duties of the life he had led. To a mind whose chief 
attributes were energy, perseverance and determined 
courage, suitable for the accomplishment of any 
enterprise to which danger or difficulty was attached, 
Mr. Henry joined a body formed for the endurance 
of fatigue and capable of great exertion He was 
about the middle size, distinguished by an easy and 
dignified deportment, and a symetry of shape, which 
attracted the notice of both the savage and the ^ 
civilized, for among the Indian nations he went by 
the epithet of " the handsome Englishman," and it 
may be remarked, as a proof that the idea tli^t 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxv. 

manly beauty is the same among^ all nations, for on 
his appearance at the court of France, he was known 
by the same distinctive appellation. Of his talents, 
the best estimate may be formed by a perusal of his 
writings, which bear unequivocal testimony of his 
having been a man of attentive observation. His 
manners bespoke a candid, open disposition, and 
formed a passport to an acquaintance immediately on 
being introduced to him. All these, combined with 
his social habits, extensive information, and the 
agreeable method in which he could convey a des- 
cription of whatever he had seen, from the possession 
of colloquial talents of the first rate, drew around 
him a number of friends whose sincere esteem he 
possessed to the hour of his death." 

We get occasional glimpses of Henry between 1777 
and 17.y3, while he was still engaged in the fur 
trade, in the Canadian Archives and the Montreal 
Gazette, which are quite in accordance with the high 
character given him. In 1785 he is one of the 
leading merchants of Montreal who presented a fare- 
well address to the late Acting-Governor, Hon. Henry 
Hamilton, and in January, 1787, signs an address of 
thanks to certain merchants of Montreal, passed at a 
meeting held at the Recollets Convent. We meet 
here also, for the first time, the signature of Alex- 
ander Henry, Jr. . In August of the same year we 
find him signing a memorial from the heads of the 
General Society at Michilimackinac. Complaints 
had been made as to the conduct of Mr. Dease, the 
superintendent of Indian aflfairs, and Mr. Ainse, the 
interpreter, and Lord Dorchester appointed a com- 
mission in 1788 to investigate the charges, composed 
of three military officers and two merchants, of whom 
Mr. Henry was one. In 1789 he is back in Montreal 



xxvi. TRAVELS, ETC. 

and signs an address of welcome to the loyalist 
Bisliop of Nova Scotia, Charles Inglis, on his first visit 
to Montreal. One of the difficulties which continu- 
ally annoyed the furtraders was the uncertainty 
about the character of their men, to whom so much 
was entrusted, and in 1789, Henry, with ten other 
firms, agrees " not to employ any voyageur unless 
he produced a certificate from his cure." His mili- 
tary duties seem also to have been attended to, for His 
Excellency the Governor grants him the same year 
his commission as lieutenant. In 1790 he is back in 
Michilimackinac attending the commission to which 
he had been appointed in 1788, evidently displeased 
at its slow progress, for " Messrs. William Grant and 
Henry, traders, belonging to the General Partnership, 
who were on the Board, said publicly that the proofs 
took too long — that they should be trading and not 
holding such enquiries — that they had pressing busi- 
ness elsewhere." In May, 1791, he publishes an 
announcement that " The subscriber being about to 
quit the Province for some months, requests those 
who may have contract or other engagements with 
him, to address themselves to Messrs. McTavish, Fro- 
bisher and Company, with whom he leaves the man- 
agement of his affairs during his absence. — Alexander 
Henry." In 1792 he is one of those signing the 
address to Sir John Johnson on his departure, and 
in the following year a subscriber to the Voyageur's 
Relief Fund. Long after he left the fur trade, and 
was acting as King's Auctioneer, an incident occurred 
which illustrates the customs troubles of early days. 
The Montreal Herald, of March, 1812, says: "On 
the evening of Saturday or Sunday last, a gang of 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxvii. 

lawless villains forcibly broke into the store of 
Alexander Henry, Esq., and robbed it of thirty-four 
chests of tea, which had been formerly seized by the 
Custom House officials as smuggled property. When 
they reached the partition dividing the back from 
the front of the store they bored an upper and lower 
line of holes with an auger, exactly parallel, driving 
in the intermediate space, thus making room for a 
chest of tea. From the nature of the work it must 
have taken a dozen experienced, hardy, and villain- 
ous rogues to complete the atrocious task." Henry 
advertised, offering a reward of $200 and " promising 
to keep the informer's name secret." Whether he 
succeeded in getting it back is not stated. We learn 
from " Doige's Alphabetical List of Merchants of 
Montreal " that Messrs. Henry & Bethune occupied, 
in 1823, No. 129 St. Paul Street. Mr. Bethune was a 
nephew of Henry's, and resided with him at 14 St. 
Urbain Street. 

Alexander Henry's " Travels and Adventures " 
were published in New York in 1807, and seem to 
have attracted little attention. They appear to have 
been compiled from " details from time to time com- 
mitted to paper during his wanderings." The earlier 
portion shows a want of correctness in the distances 
mentioned, which is the more surprising when we 
consider that he had " Sir Alexander Mackenzie's 
Travels " in his hands for some years, and makes 
quotations from it. The first part of this book, 
containing a history of the Canadian fur trade, said 
to have been written by Roderick Mackenzie, has 
detailed measurements of the distances and of the 
obstructions to navigation between Montreal and 



xxviii. TRAVELS, ETC. 

Athabasca. It contains no reference to Henry, 
though the expedition to the Saskatchewan, in which 
Henry took part, is mentioned. Henry is constantly 
confusing leagues and miles, sometimes using miles 
when leagues would be correct, and sometimes the re- 
verse. In Chapter II., page 24, he loses a whole month, 
writing July instead of August. But these blemishes 
are readily overlooked in the face of the correctness 
of his description and clear, simple, Defoe-like style. 
We look in vain for a rival in these respects. With 
only one other American traveller of his century 
can he be compared — Jonathan Carver — whose nar- 
rative will always be read as the soldierly record 
of the earliest experience of an Englishman in that 
portion of the continent immediately to the south of 
the country described by Henry, but wanting that 
simplicity of style which is the charm of Henry's 
book. In addition to which Henry covered greater 
distances, described more dangerous adventures, and 
displayed a greater familiaritj'^ with the manners and 
customs of the savage people whom he visited. That 
he dedicated his book to Sir Joseph Banks would 
imply that he had met that friend of discoverers 
during one of his visits to England, and that a com- 
mon love of natural history and ethnology had 
drawn them together. 

Henry's eldest son, William, born about 1783, in- 
herited the adventurous spirit of his father. Entering 
the service of the North- West Company as a clerk, he 
was stationed from 1801 to 1809 at different posjts 
in what is now the Province of Manitoba, part of his 
time being spent with his cousin, Alexander Henry, Jr. 
While in a camp of Assiniboines he barely escaped 




Willia-m Henry let. 72. 



(From a Daguerreotype). 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxix. 

being stabbed by a drunken Saulteur. In 1810 
he was in charge of the North- West Company's 
post at Cumberland House, and in the follow- 
ing year was on the Athabasca River, where he 
established a new post which was marked on the 
maps as Henry's House, though it was destroyed 
after an existence of only two or three years. It stood 
at the junction of the Miette River with the Atha- 
basca facing the Yellowhead Pass, and was the most 
southerly post on the latter river. Its site was 
visited by Franchere in 1814, and Ross Cox in 1817. 
From thence he was removed westward to the post on 
the Williamette River (Oregon), where he remained 
in charge until 1816. Orders from Canada caused 
him to return to Fort William on Lake Superior, and 
in 1817 he was sent to Lesser Slave Lake. At the 
time of the amalgamation of the two fur companies 
he returned to Montreal and became a surveyor and 
civil engineer. Here he married the sister of Mr. 
John Felton. About 1848 he removed to the town of 
Newmarket, thirty miles north of Toronto and con- 
tinued there his profession of land surveyor. He 
died about 1864. The portrait which appears on the 
opposite page is reproduced from a daguerreotype 
taken about 1855. During his residence in the Rocky 
Mountains, among other stirring adventures, he en- 
countered a grizzly bear, which tore oif his scalp, 
before he was rescued by an Indian. He also carried 
to his grave the marks of knife wounds received at 
different times in quarrels with the Indians. His 
brother-in-law, John Felton, who lived for the latter 
part of his life near Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec, 
had been signal midshipman on Nelson's flagship, the 



XXX. TRAVELS, ETC. 

Victory, at the battle of Trafalgar, and had been 
present also at the battle of Copenhagen, for both of 
which engagements he received medals. At the block- 
ade of Guadalope, West Indies, he was the officer of 
the watch on board the Curieux, sloop-of-war, when 
she struck a rock and was wrecked. The court- 
martial which was held, acted hastily it was felt, in 
finding that, " though the wreck was caused by cir- 
cumstances beyond his control, he should be dismissed 
the service." During the visit of the Prince of Wales to 
Canada, His Royal Highness, when in Sherbrooke, sent 
for Felton, and to the great satisfaction of his neigh- 
bours and friends received him with the greatest cor- 
diality, and exercised the prerogative delegated by the 
Queen, by restoring him to the position he had lost. 

Alexander, the second son, also entered the service 
of the North- West Company, but does not appear to 
have distinguished himself. From George Keith's 
despatch to Roderick Mackenzie, from the Mackenzie 
River Department, we learn of his end. " Sorry I am 
to add that the late Mr. Alexander Henry with four 
men and some women and children suffered an un- 
timely and barbarous fate, all having been most 
cruelly murdered by a strong party of natives of that 
post (Fort Nelson, Liard River)." 

Julia, the third child and only daughter, died 
unmarried. Of the children of William, the eldest 
named after his father, nothing is known, but the 
second son, Charles, preserved the family restlessness 
of disposition. He was born in Montreal in 1832 
and taken to Newmarket, when the family removed. 
In his thirteenth year he ran away from home, mak- 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxxi. 

ing his way to the seaboard, and shipped before 
the mast in a merchant vessel. Two years after, 
he joined a whaler, cruising about for four years. 
The ship " Catherine," in which he was at the time, 
was wrecked on the Island of Hawaii, only three of 
the crew reaching shore, one of whom was Charles, 
who floated into safety on a hencoop. One of the 
three commenced almost immediately to fight with 
the natives and was killed, but the two survivors, 
after trial before the tribal council, were permitted 
to stay on the island. They both took native wives, 
and built themselves huts. At the end of three 
months the arrival of a vessel in the harbour afforded 
them an opportunity of escaping, which they did, by 
stealing a canoe. Charles then joined the American 
navy, was in service during the Mexican war, and was 
paid off in 1857. He frequently applied for a pension 
but was never granted one. He next turns up as a 
driver of a mule wagon for the American Govern- 
ment at Fort Snelling. In 1862 he returned to 
Canada and spent the remainder of his days in Barrie, 
on Lake Simcoe, about sixty miles north of Toronto 
and some thirty miles north of his old home at New- 
market. He died in June, 1897, in somewhat reduced 
circumstances. 

Julia, the third child, married B. W. Murray, Esq., 
accountant of the Supreme Court, Ontario, and resides 
in Toronto. 

Among the most active opponents of the Hudson's 
Bay Company immediately before the union of the 
two companies, when the warfare was keenest, we 
meet with the name of Robert Henry. It occurs in 



xxxii. TRAVELS, ETC. 

the papers published by Parhament " relating to the 
Red River settlement." Among the despatches cap- 
tured by the Hudson's Bay Company was one from 
Robert Henry, dated May 22nd, 1816, addressed to his 
uncle, Alexander Henry, in which the determination 
of the employees of the North- West Company to light 
their opponents is openlj/- expressed, and the document 
is quoted by the Hudson's Bay Company as showing 
the murderous character of the Canadian traders. 
This Robert Henry was an adopted nephew who, in 
1817, retired from the fur-trade, settling down in the 
town of Cobourg, on Lake Ontario, where he pursued 
for many years the business of banking, and died 
there in 1859, aged 81 years. 

In this new edition all the typographical peculiari- 
ties of punctuation and capitals have been preserved, 
so that it is almost a fac-simile of the original. No 
omissions or alterations have been made in the text. 
The author's spelling of proper names has been re- 
tained throughout. His notes are indicated by the 
ordinary symbols, *, f, etc., and the editor's additional 
notes by the Arabic numerals. The illustrations of 
the warehouse occupied by Alexander Henry, which 
was situated upon the north-west corner of St. Paul 
and St. Nicholas streets, Montreal, show it as it ap- 
peared before its destruction by lire on January 23rd, 
1901. The building was originally erected about i 670, 
by Jean Baptiste Migeon, agent for the West India 
Company, as a warehouse for furs and goods for the 
Indian country. Here La Salle received his supplies 
for his expedition to the Mississippi. In 1780 it was 
purchased by Henry for the storage of furs, and 





Interior and South Exterior of the Wo^rehouse on St. Paid Street, 
Montreal, occupied by Alexander Henry in 1780. 



EDITOR'S NOTE. xxxiii. 

continued to be occupied for this purpose until its 
destruction. Its last proprietor was Mr. James Coris- 
tine, who says : " It had been much changed in thirty- 
five years. It was two-storied, with a high cellar and 
a gabled roof, with large dormer windows, covered 
with white tin. The entrance on the north side was 
by way of a turret, with winding stone steps, giving 
access to the upper stories. The material in the 
building was of surface stone, unquarried, and it was 
undoubtedly one of the first buildings erected in 
Montreal." The main room on the ground floor, shown 
in the upper illustration, was of great solidity, the 
ceiling being nearly six feet thick, and the openings 
capable of being shut, so as to exclude all the light. 

The editor takes this opportunity of expressing 
his thanks to Mr. A. F. Hunter, Barrie, Ont., for 
his valuable notes and suggestions ; to Mr. W. D. 
Lighthall, Westmount, Montreal, for photographs; 
and to Mr. C. C. James, Deputy Minister of Agricul- 
ture, for numerous notes. 

James Bain. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Portrait of Alexander Henry, from 

a miniature, . - - - Frontispiece. 

J Portrait of William Henry, from a 

Daguerreotype, _ . - Facing page xxix. 

-i Interior of Warehouse occupied by 

Alexander Henry in Montreal, Facing page xxxii. 

Exterior of the same, - - - Facing page xxxii. 

^ Facsimile of Form of Contract with 

Voyageurs, - - - - Facing page I4. 

^ Map of Michilimakinac and sur- 
rounding country, from Char- 
levoix, ----- Facing page 40. 

'^ Map of the North Shore of Lake 

Superior, from the original, - Facing page 232. 



TRAVELS 
AND ADVENTURES 



CANADA 



THE INDIAN TERRIIORIES, 



BETWEEN 



THE YEARS 1760 AND 1776, 



IN TWO PARTS. 



BY ALEXANDER HENRY, ESQ. 



NEW -YORK: 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY I. KILBT. 
1809. 



DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK, as. 

"DE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twelfth day of October in 
-'-' the thirty-fourth year of the Independence of the \Jnited States 
of America, Isaac Kiley, of the said district, hath deposited in this 
office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, 
in the words following, to wit : 

" Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories, 
"between the years 1760 and 1776, In two parts. By Alexander 
"Henry, Esq." 

In Conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, 
entitled, " An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the 
"copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors 
"of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and to an 
"act, entitled, "An act, supplementary to an act, entitled, an act 
"for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, 
"charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, 
"during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits 
"thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and etching historical 
"and other prints." 

CHARLES CLINTON, 

Clerk of the District of New- York. 



PART THE FIRST. 



TO 
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 

SIR JOSEPH BANKS, BARONET; 

KNIGHT-COMPANION 

OF THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH ; 

ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S 

MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL ; 

PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY, F. S. A. 
&c., &c., &c. 

THIS VOLUME 

WITH GREAT DEFERENCE. 
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 

BY 

HIS VERY DEVOTED, 

AND VERY HUMBLE SERVANT, 

ALEXANDER HENRY. 



Montreal, October 20th, 1809. 



PREFACE. 

A PREMATURE attempt to share in the fur- 
trade of Canada, directly on the conquest of the 
country, led the author of the following pages 
into situations of some danger and singularity ; 
and the pursuit, under better auspices, of the same 
branch of coTnmerce, occasioned him, to visit 
various parts of the Indian Territories. 

These transactions occupied a period of sixteen 
years, coinrfiencing nearly with the author's setting 
out in life. The details, from time to tirne com- 
mitted to paper, form the subject matter of the 
present volume. 

The heads, under which, for the most part, they 
will be found to range themselves, are three ; first, 
the incidents or adventures in which the author 
was engaged; secondly, the observations, on the 
geography and natural history of the countries 
visited, which he was able to make, and to preserve; 



and, thirdly, the views of society and manners, 
among a jjart of the Indians of North America, 
which it has belonged to the course of his narrative 
to develops. 

Upon the last, the author may he permitted 
to remark, that he has by no means undertaken to 
write the general history of the American Indians, 
nor any theory of their morals, or their merits. 
With but few exceptions, it has been tlie entire 
scope of his design, simply to relate those parti- 
cular facts, which are either identified with his 
own fortunes, or with the truth of which he is 
otherwise personally conversant. All comment, 
therefore, in alviost all instances, is studiously 
avoided. 

Montreal, October 20th, 1809. 



TRAVELS 

AND ADVENTURES, 

&c. &c. 



CHAPTER I. 

Journies and Voyages between Oswegatchie and 
Montreal. Indian encampments. Indian hospi- 
tality. Winter travelling, in the wilder parts of 
Canada. Les Cedres, the uppermost white settle- 
ment on the river Saint-Lawrence. Author 
prepares for a voyage to Michilimackinac. 

TN tlie year 1760, wlien the British arms, under 
General Amlierst, were employed in the reduction 
of Canada/ I accompanied the expedition, which, 

^ The campaign during the summer of 1760, was under- 
taken to complete the conquest of Canada by the capture of 
the remaining portion of the French Army, which, under the 
command of Vaudreuii and L6vis, had retreated upon Mon- 
treal. The British and Colonial forces were divided into three 
divisions, General Murray being in command of that which 
was to ascend the St. Lawrence from Quebec ; Brigadier Havi- 
land that by way of Lake Champlain, and General Amherst 
with the main body to descend the St. Lawrence from Lake 
Ontario. His forces consisted of ten thousand, one hundred 
and forty-two men, and about seven hundred Indians. This, 
strong force was thought necessary to prevent the escape of the 
French to Detroit and the West. 



2 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

subsequently to the surrender of Quebec,* descended 
from Oswego, on Lake Ontario, against Fort de 
Levi,'* one of the upper posts situate on an island, 
which lies on the south side of the great river, Saint- 
Lawrence, at a short distance below the mouth of 
the Oswegatchie;^ Fort de Levi surrendered on the 
21st day of August, seven days after the commence- 
ment of the siege; and General Amherst continued 
his voyage down the stream, carrying his forces 
against Montreal. 

It happened, that in this voyage, one of the few 
fatal accidents, which are remembered to have oc- 
curred, in that dangerous part of the river, below 
Lake Saint-Frangais, called the Rapides des Cedres, 
befel the British army. Several boats, loaded with 
provisions and military stores, were lost, together 

*Quebec surrendered on the 18th of September, 1759. 

^Fort L6vis was erected in 1759 on Isle Royale, now 
known as Chimney Island, about five miles east of the town of 
Prescott, Ontario, for the purpose of defending the western 
entrance to the St. Lawrence, which the destruction of Fort 
Frontenac in August, 1758, had left open. Pouchot who had 
surrendered Fort Niagara to Sir William Johnson on September 
25th, 1759, was in command. The investment was made by 
Amherst on August 20th, 1760, and the fort surrendered on the 
25th. The Fi'ench lost fifty-two killed and wounded out of 
their entire force of two hundred and ninety-nine officers and 
men. A plan of the fort will be found in Mante's History of 
the late war in North America. London, 1772, p. 302, which 
has been reproduced in Hough's Edition of Pouchot's Memoir 
upon the late war in North America, Roxbury, 1866. 

Now Ogdensburg, New York. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 3 

with upward of a hundred men.* I had three boats, 
loaded with merchandize, all of which were lost; and 
I saved my life, only by gaining the bottom of one of 
my boats, which lay among the rocky shelves, and on 
which I continued for some hours, and until I was 
kindly taken off, by one of the general's aides-de- 
camp. 

The surrender of Montreal, and, with it, the sur- 
render of all Canada, followed that of Fort de Levi, 
at only the short interval of three days; and, pro- 
posing to avail myself of the new market, which 
was thus thrown open to British adventure, I 
hastened to Albany, where my commercial connec- 
tions were, and where I procured a quantity of goods, 
with which I bCt out, intending to carry them to 
Montreal. For this, however, the winter was too 
near approached; I was able only to return to Fort 
de Levi, to which the conquerors had now given the 
name of Fort William- August us, and where I remain- 
ed until the month of January, in the following 
year. 

At this time, having disposed of my goods to the 
garrison, and the season, for travelling on the snow 
and ice, being set in, I prepared to go down to 
Montreal. The journey was to be performed through 
a country, inhabited only by Indians and by beasts 
of the forest, and which presented to the eye no 
other change, than from thick woods, to the broad 

* Owing to want of proper precautions forty-six boats were 
wrecked, eighteen damaged and eighty-four men lost their lives, 
besides a considerable quantity of stores. 



4 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

surface of a frozen river. It was necessary that I 
should be accompanied, as well by an interpreter as 
by a guide, to both of which ends, I engaged 
the services of a Canadian, named John-Baptist 
Bodoine. 

The snow, which lay upon the ground, was, by 
this time, three feet in depth. The hour of depart- 
ure an-iving, I left the fort, on snow-shoes, an article 
of equipment which I had never used before, and 
which I found it not a little difficult to manage. I 
did not avoid frequent falls; and, when down, I was 
scarcely able to rise. 

At sunset, on the first day, we reached an Indian 
encampment, of six lodges and about twenty men. 
As these people had been very recently employed 
offensively, against the English, in the French ser- 
vice, I agreed but reluctantly to the proposal of my 
guide and interpreter, which was nothing less, than 
that we should pass the night with them. My fears 
were somewhat lulled by his information, that he was 
personally acquainted with those who composed the 
camp, and by his assurances, that no danger was to be 
apprehended; and, being greatly fatigued, I entered 
one of the lodges, where I presently fell asleep. 

Unfortunately, Bodoine had brought, upon his 
back, a small keg of rum, which, while I slept, he 
opened, not only for himself, but for the general grati- 
fication of his friends ; a circumstance, of which I was 
first made aware, in being awakened, by a kick on the 
breast, from the foot of one of my hosts, and by a yell, 
or Indian cry, which immediately succeeded. At the 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 5 

instant of opening my eyes, I saw tliat my assailant 
was strug-gling' with one of his companions, who, in 
conjunction with several women, was endeavouring to 
restrain his ferocity. Perceiving, however, in the 
countenance of my enemy, the most determined mis- 
chief, I sprung upon my feet, receiving, in so doing, 
a wound in my hand, from a knife, which had been 
raised to give a more serious wound. While the rest of 
my guardians continued their charitable efforts for 
my protection, an old woman took hold of my arm, 
and, making signs that I should accompany her, led 
me out of the lodge, and then gave me to understand, 
that unless I fled, or could conceal myself, I should 
certainly be killed. 

My guide was absent; and, without his direction, 
I was at a loss where to go. In all the surrounding 
lodges, there was the same howling and violence, as 
in that from which I had escaped. I was without my 
snow-shoes, and had only so much clothing as I had 
fortunately left upon me, when I lay down to sleep. 
It was now one o'clock in the morning, in the month 
of January, and in a climate of extreme rigour. 

I was unable to address a single word, in her own 
language, to the old woman who had thus befriended 
me; but, on repeating the name of Bodoine, I soon 
found that she comprehended my meaning; and, 
having first pointed to a large tree, behind which, she 
made signs, that until she could find my guide, I 
should hide myself, she left me, on this important 
errand. Meanwhile, I made my way to the tree, and 
seated myself in the snow. From my retreat, I 



6 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

beheld several Indians, running from one lodge to 
another, as if to quell the disturbance which pre- 
vailed. 

The coldness of the atmosphere congealed the 
blood about my wound, and prevented further bleed- 
ing; and the anxious state of my mind rendered me 
almost insensible to bodily suffering. At the end of 
half an hour, I heard myself called, by Bodoine, 
whom, on going to him, I found as much intoxicated, 
and as much a savage, as the Indians themselves; but, 
he was nevertheless able to fetch my snow-shoes, 
from the lodge in which I had left them, and to 
point out to me a beaten path, which presently enter- 
ed a deep wood, and which he told me I must follow. 

After walking about three miles, I heard, at 
length, the foot-steps of my guide, who had now 
overtaken me. I thought it most prudent to abstain 
from all reproof; and we proceeded on our march till 
sun-rise, when we arrived at a solitary Indian hunting- 
lodge, built with branches of trees, and of which the 
only inhabitants w^ere an Indian and his wife. Here, 
the warmth of a large fire reconciled me to a second 
experiment on Indian hospitality. The result was 
very different from that of the one which had preced- 
ed it; for, after relieving my thirst with melted 
snow, and my hunger with a plentiful meal of veni- 
son, of which there was a great quantity in the lodge, 
and which was liberally set before me, I resumed my 
journey, full of sentiments of gratitude, such as 
almost obliterated the recollection of what had be- 
fallen me, among the friends of my benefactors. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 7 

From tlie hunting-lodge, I followed my guide till 
evening, when we encamped on the banks of the 
Saint-Lawrence, making a fire, and supping on the 
meat with which our wallets had been filled in the 
morning. 

While I indulged myself in rest, my guide visited 
the shore, where he discovered a bark canoe, which 
had been left there, in the beginning of the winter, 
by some Indian way-farers. We were now at the 
head of the Longue Sault, one of those portions of the 
river, in which it passes over a shallow, inclining and 
rocky bed, and where its motion consequently pre- 
vents it from freezing, even in the coldest part of the 
year; and my guide, as^soon as he had made his dis- 
covery, recommended, that we should go by water 
down the rapids, as the means of saving time, of 
shortening our iourney, and of avoiding a numerous 
body of Indians, then hunting on the banks below. 
The last of these arguments was, with me, so power- 
ful, that though a bark canoe was a vehicle to which I 
was altogether a stranger; though this was a very 
small one/ of only sixteen or eighteen feet in length,* 

* There are still smaller. 

^ This is about the usual length of the canoe in use on the 
smaller lakes and rivers, but the larger, which are known as 
North- West canoes, are required by traders for the transporta- 
tion of heavy loads and for making the long traverses on the 
great lakes. These are 'from thirty to thirty-five feet long, five 
feet wide in the middle, with a depth of two feet three inches. 
They carry about six thousand pounds weight of stores and 
goods, and eight or ten men, two of whom can carry it over a 
portage. 



8 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

and much out of repair; and though the misfortune 
which I had experienced, in the navigation of these 
rocky parts of the Saint-Lawrence^ when descending 
with the army, naturally presented itself to my mind, 
as a still further discouragement, yet I was not long 
in resolving to undertake the voyage. 

Accordingly, after stopping the leaks, as completely 
as we were able, we embarked, and proceeded. My 
fears were not lessened, by perceiving that the least 
unskilful motion was sufficient to overset the ticklish 
craft into which I had ventured; by the reflection, 
that a shock, comparatively gentle, from a mass of 
rock or ice, was more than its frail material could 
sustain; nor by observing that the ice, which lined 
the shores of the river, was too strong to be pushed 
through, and, at the same time, too weak to be walked 
upon, so that, in the event of disaster, it would be al- 
most impossible to reach the land. In fact, we had 
not proceeded more than a mile, when our canoe 
became full of water, and it was not till after a long 
search, that we found a place of safety. 

Treading, once more, upon dry ground, I should 
willingly have faced the wilderness and all its In- 
dians, rather than embark again; but my guide in- 
formed me that I was upon an island, and I had there- 
fore no choice before me. We stopped the leaks a 
second time, and recommenced our voyage, which we 
performed with success, but sitting, all the way, in six 
inches of water. In this manner, we arrived at the 
foot of the rapids, where the river was frozen all 
across. Here, we disembarked upon the ice, walked 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 9 

to tlie bank, made a fire, and encamped; for such is tlie 
phrase employed, in the woods of Canada. 

At day-break the next morning, we put on our 
snow-shoes, and commenced our journey over the ice; 
and, at ten o'clock, arrived in sight of Lake Saint- 
Fran^ais, which is from four to six miles in breadth** 
The wind was high, and the snow, drifting over the ex- 
panse, prevented us, at times, from discovering the 
land, and consequently (for compass we had none), 
from pursuing, with certainty, our course. 

Toward noon, the storm became so violent, that 
we directed our steps to the shore, on the north side, 
by the shortest route we could; and, maldng a fire, 
dined on the remains of the Indian hunter's bounty. 
At two o'clock, in the afternoon, when the wind had 
subsided, and the atmosphere grown more clear, I dis- 
cerned a cariole, or sledge, moving our way, and 
immediately sent my guide to the driver, with a 
request, that he would come to my encampment. On 
his arrival, I agreed with him to carry me to Les 
Cedres/ a distance of eight leagues, for a reward of 
eight dollars. The driver was a Canadian, who had 
been to the Indian village of Saint-Regis,*^ and was 



^ More exact measurements show that the widest part of 
Lake St. Francis is rather less than five miles. 

■^In Soulanges County, Que., 27 miles south-west of 
Montreal. 

® A settlement of French Mohawk Indians, on the boundary 
line between the United States and Canada, where it touches 
the St. Lawrence river, four miles south-east of Cornwall, Ont. 



10 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

now on Ids return to Les Cedres, the -uppermost white 
settlement on the Saint-Lawrence. 

Late in the evening, I reached Les Cedres, and was 
carried to the house of Ai. Leduc, its seignior,'' by 
whom I was politely and hospitably received. M. 
Leduc being disposed to converse with me, it became 
a subject of regret, that neither party understood the 
language of the other; but, an interpreter was fortu- 
nately found, in the person of a Serjeant of His 
Majesty's Eighteenth Regiment of Foot. 

I now learned, that M. Leduc, in the earlier part of 
his life, had been engaged in the fur-trade, with the 
Indians of Michilimackinac and Lake Superior. He 
informed me of his acquaintenance with the Indian 
languages, and his knowledge of furs; and gave me to 
understand, that Michilimackinac was richer, in this 
commodity, than any other part of the world. He 
added, that the Indians were a peaceable -race of men, 
and that an European might travel, from one side of 
the continent to the other without experiencing insult 
Further, he mentioned, that a guide, who lived at no 
great distance from his house, could confirm the truth 
of all that he had advanced. 

I, who had previously thought of visiting Michi- 
limackinac, with a view to the Indian trade, gave the 
strictest attention to all that fell, on this subject, from 
my host; and, in order to possess myself, as far as 

^Jean Baptiste Leduc, seigneur de I'lle-Perrot : et etait au 
Bout-de-l'Ile, M., le II. Mars, 1757. — Tanguays Dictionnaire 
Gen4alogi(pie, vol. 5, p. 260. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 11 

possible, of all tliat might be collected in addition, I 
requested, that tbe guide sboiild be sent for. This 
man arrived; and a short conversation terminated in 
my engaging him to conduct myself, and the canoes 
which I was to procure, to Michilimackinac, in the 
month of June following. 

There being, at this time, no goods in Montreal,^° 
adapted to the Indian trade, my next business was to 
proceed to Albany, to make my purchases there. This I 
did in the beginning of the month of May, by the way 
of Lake Champlain ; and, on the 15th of June, arrived 
again in Montreal, bringing with me my outfits. As I 
was altogether a stranger to the commerce in which I 
was engaging, I confided in the recommendations, 
given me, of one Etienne Campion, as my assistant; a 
part which he uniformly fulfilled with honesty and 
fidelity. 

His Excellency, General Gage," who now command- 

i^The blockade of the St. Lawrence for two years had pre- 
vented both the Government and the merchants from replenish- 
ing their warehouses and the English merchants were slowly 
arriving. 

" Born in 1721, he entered the army in 1741, attaining the 
rank of Brigadier-General in 1759, when he was sent to super- 
sede Johnson who had taken command of the forces before 
Niagara on the death of Prideaux. He commanded the rear- 
guard of Amherst's army during the descent of the St. Lawrence. 
After the capitulation he was appointed Govt^rnor of the District 
of Montreal. In 1774 he was Governor of Massachusetts and in 
1776, Commander-in-Chief of the North American forces. He 
died in 1787. 



12 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

ed in cliief, in Canada, very reluctantly gTanted me 
the permission, at this time requisite, for going to 
Michilimackinac. JSTo treaty of peace had yet been 
made, between the English and the Indians, which 
latter were in arms, under Pontiac, an Indian leader, 
of more than common celebrity, and General Gage 
was therefore strongly, and (as it became manifest) 
but too justly apprehensive, that both the property and 
lives of His Majesty's subjects would be very insecure, 
in the Indian countries. But, he had already granted 
such permission to a Mr. Bostwick'-; and this 1 was able 
to employ, as an argument against his refusal, in re- 
spect to myself. General Gage complied; and on the 
3d day of August, 1761, after some further delay, in 
obtaining a passport from the town-major, I dispatch- 
ed my canoes to Lachine, there to take in their lading. 



^^ An English trader who was afterwards present with Henry 
at Michilimackinac. He escaped the massacre and was 
brought by the Ottawas to Montreal, where he was ransomed. 



CHAPTER II. 

Voyage from Montreal to Michilimackinac. Canoes. 
Canoe-men. Lachine. Saint-Anne. Lake Des 
Deux Montagnes. Indian Mission. Description 
of part of the river Des Outaouais. Indians 
returning from the chace — their opinion of the 
Authors undertaking. Claims of the Algonquins, 
on the banks of the Outaouais — their regard to the 
right of property. Leave the Outaouais, and enter 
the Matawa. 

THE inland navigation, from Montreal to Micliili- 
mackinac, may be performed, either by the way of 
LakeSj Ontario and Erie, or by the river Des Outaouais, 
Lake Nipisingue and the river Des Francais/ for, as 
well by one as the other of these routes, we are carried 
to Lake Huron. The second is the shortest, and that 
which is usually pursued by the canoes, employed in 
the Indian trade. 

The canoes, which I provided for my undertaking, 
were, as is usual, five fathom and a half in length, and 
four feet and a half in their extreme breadth, and 
formed of birch-tree bark, a quarter of an inch in 
thickness. The bark is lined with small splints of 
cedar-wood; and the vessel is further strengthened 

^ Ottawa River, Lake Nipissing and French River, 



14 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

with ribs of the same wood, of which the two ends are 
fastened to the gunwales: several bars, rather than 
seats, are also laid across the canoe, from gunwale to 
gunwale. The small roots of the spruce-tree afford 
the wattap, with which the bark is sewed ; and the 
gum of the pine-tree supplies the place of tar and 
oakum. Bark, some spare wattap and gum, are always 
carried in each canoe, for the repairs which frequently 
become necessary. 

The canoes are worked, not with oars, but with 
paddles; and, occasionally, with a sail. To each canoe 
there are eight men ; and to every three or four canoes, 
which constitute a hrigade, there is a guide or conduc- 
tor. Skilful men, at double the wages of the rest, axe 
placed in the head and stern. They engage to go from 
Montreal to Michih'm ackinac, and back to Montreal 
again, the middle-men at one hundred and fifty livres' 
and the end-men at three hundred livres, each.* The 
guide has the command of his brigade, and is answer- 
able for all pillage and loss; and, in return, every 
man's wages is answerable to him. This regulation 
was established under the French government. 

* These particulars may be compared with those of a more 
modern date, given in the Voyages of Sir Alexander Mackenzie. 



-' By the ordinance of 1764, the shilling (colonial currency) 
was adopted as the basis, and declared equal to one French 
livre. The British shilling was rated at one shilling and four 
pence and the dollar at six shillings. Consequently the middle- 
men received twenty-five dollars, and the end men fifty dollars 
•each. 



•ARDEVANT les NOT AIRES de la Province 

mi Bas Canada, Ti M. naxal y icfidcnt, fouffigacs, Fut prcR-nt 

leqiiel •^VR v^lort^l u.xr- Fn-ic- < t .Tng^c par ccs^PicKnrs & 
Meffrs. M'TAVoi i, i WCuV ! IL R iif C ° Mr. . V.. > . ''^ ^ "' '- 
im des clits All. CLS a o pu.enr er .h cept.mt, pour^kurprc- 

mierp rcouifition p.iirir dc cetrc V;lle tn i,;sui;itc AC''^;i^^C£/c'S^'' 

- da>t.i.nd* y!sCan(.thpvj. fa;rcle voyage tant en 

a^i $'^'^-^^^ - " --"^ --, ~^"^-'- ■■■^- 

t r lie' Inchna, fi il en c 1 1. 's , p.T i Flilt ricce<- fvii if 
r; ( i ,,)'vf<-n tit nt, tt^^.r/^tP' qn^c en loitint, on iibitie 

i'op 1 .1 de<=dir -uurs V ] w i ?, . f u 1 ui I'-p/- 



d 



fan\ .t(Ld vvl nx < m ic c pt. u f iW 

oco.edc -> /'- '>dcrtncct.i .k, 

m. r!v I a . v.. btn t. a . I k<; nu\s, j^t e^ai ^rj 

dii ill." ^ 

T 



S A ivns Pel 



]e p c nf t 
Jtlil nion'' < 



1' 

vice, Ifuaie p( 



fir.. "' ^urt t H 



Fs^tV^-'^ "^;..^ ,. 



1*- r'' 



, 1 . call. 1 *-—.- 

id- 

, ri<- ' 
Li re 
*\ t et s\ L I ue 

ni tn < cit" 's le, ct .1 



i Id v'l / X 

ion da L i i lAp !ut ,it <;xJr^,iy*-«^ ^ t n en t ivmce 

par r n' , r'ui. k i< ^. C u auai &c. 



I KU. . y -'ic^ifil.rii ^ ^itJ.uif]giX?J''''nm'5%t 






I ( -I 'i~re 1 iV'j.f'p nn dodit engtgt - 
qvravintdfecla.en< ki. o.r , .'"e , d c.^tanv., ai^.ti^niaique ord^ 



ord 






Oopi/ of i/ie i^orm of Contract with Voyage^irs. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 15 

The freight of a canoe, of tlie substance and dimen- 
sions wliich I liave detailed, consist of sixty pieces, or 
packages, of mercliandize, of the weight of from 
ninety to a hundred pounds each; and provisions to 
the amount of one thousand weight. To this is to be 
added, the v,-eight of eight men, and of eight bags, 
weighing forty pounds each, one of which every man 
is privileged to put on board. The whole weight must 
therefore exceed eight thousand pounds; or may per- 
haps be averaged at four tons. 

The nature of the navigation, which is to be de- 
scribed, will sufficiently explain, why the canoe is the 
only vessel which can be employed along its course. 
The necessity, indeed, becomes apparent, at the very 
instant of our departure from Montreal itself. 

The Saint-Lawrence, for several miles, immediately 
above Montreal, descends, with a rapid current, over 
a shallow rocky bed; insomuch, that even canoes them- 
selves, when loaded, cannot resist the stream, and are 
therefore sent empty to Lachine, where they meet the 
merchandize which they are to carry, and which is 
transported thither by land.* Lachine is about nine 
miles higher up the river, than Montreal, and is at the 
head of the Sault de Saint-Louis, which is the highest 
of the sauUs, falls, or leaps, in this part of the Saint- 
Lawrence. 

* La Chine, or China, has always been the point 'of departure, 
for the upper countries. It owes its name to the expeditions of 
M. de la Salle, which were fitted out at this place, for the dis- 
covery of a north-wesb passage to China. 



16 TKAVELS AND [A.D. 

On the third of August, I sent my canoes to La- 
chine; and, on the following morning, embarked 
with them, for Michilimackinac. The river is here 
so broad as to be denominated a lake, by the title of 
Lake Soint-Louis; the prospect is wide and cheerful; 
and the village has several well-built houses. 

In a short time, we reached the rapids and carrying- 
place of Saint-Anne, two miles below the upper end 
of the island of Montreal; and it is not till after pass- 
ing these, that the voyage may be properly said to be 
commenced.^ At Saint- Anne's, the men go to con- 
fession, and, at the same time, offer up their vows; for 
the saint, from which this parish derives its name, and 
to whom its church is dedicated, is the patroness of the 
Canadians, in all their travels by water. 

There is still a further custom to be observed, on 
arriving at Saint-Anne's, and which is, that of dis- 
tributing eight gallons of rum to each canoe (a gal- 
lon for each man) for consumption during the voyage; 
nor is it less according to custom, to drink the whole 
of this liquor upon the spot. — The saint, therefore, and 
the priest, were no sooner dismissed, than a scene of 
intoxication began, in which my men surpassed, if 
possible, the drunken Indian, in singing, fighting, and 
the display of savage gesture and conceit. In the 
morning, we reloaded the canoes, and pursued our 
course, across the lake Des Deux Montagues. 

^ " Soon as the woods on the shore look dim, 
We'll sing at St. Ann's our parting hymn." 

Canadian Boat Song. — Moore. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 17 

This lake, like that of Saint-Louis, is only a part of 
the estuary of the Outaouais, which here "unites itself 
with the Saint-Lawrence, or rather, according to some, 
the Cataraqui; for, with these, the Saint-Lawrence is 
formed by the confluence of the Cataraqui and 
Outaouais.* 



At noouj we reached the Indian Mission of the 
Seminary of Saint-Sulpice,^ situate on the north bank 
of the lake, with its two villages, Algonquin and 
Iroquois, in each of which was reckoned an hundred 
souls. Here, we received a hospitable reception, and 
remained during two hours. I was informed, by one 
of the missionaries, that since the conquest of the 
country, the unrestrained introduction of spirituous 
liquors, at this place, which had not been allowed un- 

*This is the Utaivas of some writers, the Ottaway of others, 
&c., &c., &c. It is also called the Grand River — la Grande 
Riviere. 



* Caiiasadaga, or the Lake of the Two Mountains, now the 
villasj;e of Oka, was a mission established by the Sulpicians for 
Christianizing the vagrant Algonquin and Iroquois Indians, who 
clustered round the walls of Montreal in the early days of its 
settlement. They were first gathered together in its neighbour- 
hood, afterwards were removed to the Sault-au-Recollet, and 
finally settled upon the seigniory of the Lac de Deux Montagnes, 
where Henry found them. Disputes as to the ownership of 
the land aggravated by religious controversies, led to the removal 
of a portion of them in 1884, to the township of Gibson, 
Ontario. Alexander Mackenzie, in his " Voyages Through the 
Continent of North America," p. xxix., says that they numbered 
500 warriors. The present Indian population is 413. 
2 



18 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

der tlie former government, had occasioned many- 
outrages. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon, we prosecuted our 
voyage; and, at sun-set, disembarked, and encamped, 
at the foot of the Longue Sault. — There is a Longue 
Sault, both on this river, and on the Saint-Lawrence. 

At ten leagues, above the island of Montreal, I pass- 
ed the limits of the cultivated lands, on the north bank 
of the Outaouais.'^ On tlie south, the fanus ar'; \'ery 
few in number; but the soil has every appearance of 
fertility.* 

In ascending the Longue Sault, a distance of 
three miles, my canoes were three times unladen, 
and, together with their freight, carried on the 
shoulders of the voyageursS' The locky carrying-places 
are not crossed, without danger of serious accidents, 
by men bearing heavy burdens. 

The Longue Sault being passed, the Outaouais pre- 
sented, on either side, only scenes of primitive forest, 
the common range of the deer, the wolf, the bear and 
the Indian. The current is here gentle. The lands 
upon the south are low, and, when I passed them, 

* Numwruns and thriving culuuists are now eujuyiuf,' that 
fertility.— 1809. 



"'The seignioiies extended to Carillon, about twenty-five 
miles from the island of Montreal. 

'"• The Grenville canal was constructed to pass these danger- 
ous rapids. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 19 

were overflowed; but, on the northern side, the banks 
are dry and elevated, with much meadow-land at their 
feet. The grass, in some places, was high. Several 
islands are in this part of the river. Among the fish, 
of which there are abundance, are cat-fish, of a large 
size. 

At fourteen leagues/ above the Longue Sault, we 
reached a French fort, or trading-house, surrounded bj 
a stockade. Attached, was a small garden, from 
which we procured some vegetables. The house had 
no inhabitant. At three leagues further, is the mouth 
of the Hare-river,* which descends from the north ; and 
here we passed another trading-house. At a few 
leagues still higher, on the south-bank, is the mouth 
of a river four hundred yards wide, and which falls 
into the Outaouais perpendicularly, from the edge of a 
rock, forty feet high. The appearance of this fall, has 
procured for it the name of the rideau, or curtain', 
and hence the river itself is called the Rideau, or 
Riviere du Bideau. The fall presented itself to my 
view, with extraordinary beauty and magnificence, 
and decorated with a variety of colours.^ 

Still ascending the Outaouais, at three leagues^" from 
the fall of the Rideau, is that of La Grande 
Chaudiere,* a phenomenon of a different aspect. 

* La Grande Chaudiere, i.e. the Great Kettle. 

■^ Actually about thirty-four miles. 
^ Riviere au Lievre. 

^ In the immediate vicinity of Rideau Hall. 
1" The actual distance is about two and one-half niiies. 



20 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Here, on the north side of the river, is a deep chasm, 
running across the channel, for abont two hundred 
yards, from twenty-five to thirty feet in depth, and 
without apparent outlet. In this receptacle, a large 
portion of the river falls perpendicularly, with a loud 
noise, and amid a cloud of spray and vapour; but, em- 
bellished, from time to time, with the bright and gor- 
geous rainbow. The river, at this place, is a mile in 
width. In the rainy season, the depth of the fall is 
lessened, by reason of the large quantity of water, 
which is received into the chasm, and which, for want, 
as it would seem, of a suflicient drain, in part, fills it up. 
At such times, an eddy, and an accumulation of foam, 
at a particular part of the chasm, have led me to 
suspect the existence of an opening beneath, through 
which the water finds a subterranean passage. The 
rock, which forms the bed of the river, appears to be 
split, in an oblique direction, from one shore to the 
other; and the chasm, on the north side, is only a more 
perfect breach. 

The fall of La Grande Chaudiere, is more than 
twenty leagues above the Longue Sault. Its name is 
justified, both by its form, and by the vapour, or 
steam, which ascends from it. Above it, there are 
several islands, of which the land is higher at the 
upper, than at the lower extremities. The carrying- 
place, is not more than a quarter of a mile in lenuth/^ 
over a smooth rock, and so near the fall, that the men, 
in passing, are wetted by the spray. From this carry- 

" Mackenzie says 643 paces. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 21 

ing-place, to another, of rather more length, called the 
Portage de la Chaudiere, and, sometimes, the Second 
Chaudiere, is only three miles. 

In this part of the voyage, I narrowly escaped a 
fatal accident. A thunder-gust having obliged us to 
make the shore, the men went into the^ woods, for 
shelter, while I remained in mv canoe, under a cover' 
ing of bark. The canoe had been intended to be suffi- 
ciently drawn aground ; but to my consternation, it was 
not long before, while thus left alone, I perceived it to 
be adrift, and going, with the current, toward La 
Grande Chaudiere. Happily, I made a timely dis- 
covery of my situation; and, getting out, in shallow 
water, was enabled, by the assistance of the men, who 
soon heard my call to save my property, along with my 
life. 

At twelve miles,^- from the second Portage de la 
Chaudiere, there is a third Chaudiere, but also called 
the Portage des Ohenes. The name of this carrying- 
place is derived from the oak-trees, with which it 
abounds. It is half a mile in length, level, and of an 
agreeable aspect. 

The bed of the river is here very broad, for a space 
of twelve leagues, or thirty-six miles; and in this part 
of its course, it is called Lake des Chaudieres,^^ a name 
derived from the falls below. The current, in this 

12 Really about five miles. The portage is given by Mackenzie 
as 740 paces. 

1^ The length of the lake is about twenty-five miles. 



22 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

place, is scarcely perceptible. The lands, on either 
side, are high, and the soil is good. At the head of 
Lake des Chaudieres, is the Portage des Chats. The 
carrying-place is a high uneven rock, of difficult access. 
The ridge of rock crosses the stream, and occasions not 
only one, but numerous falls, separated from each 
other by islands, and affording a scene of very pleasing 
appearance. At the distance of a mile, seven open- 
ings present themselves to the eye, along a line of two 
miles, which, at this point, is the breadth of the river. 
At each opening, is a fall of water, of about thirty feet 
in height, and which, from the whiteness of its foam, 
might be mistaken for a snow-bank. Above, for six 
miles,^* there are many islands, between which, the cur- 
rent is strong. To overcome the difficulties of this part 
of the navigation, the canoes first carry one half of 
their loading, and, at a second trip, the remainder. 

Above the islands, the river is six miles in width, 
and is called Lake des Chats. The lake, so called, is 
thirty miles long.^^ The lands about the lake, are like 
those of Lake des Chaudieres; but, higher up, they are 
both high and rocky, and covered with no other wood 
than spruce and stunted pine. 

While paddling against the gentle current of Lake 
des Chats, we met several canoes of Indians, return- 
ing, from their winter's hunt, to their village, at the 
lake Des Deux Montagues. I purchased some of their 
maple-sugar, and beaver-skins, in exchange for provi- 

'* Three miles. 

^^Lake des Chats is three miles wide and eighteen long. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 23 

sions. They wished for rum, which I declined to sell 
them; but they behaved civilly, and we parted, as we 
had met, in a friendly manner. Before they left us, 
they inquired, of my men, whether or not I was an 
Englishman, and being told that I was, they observed, 
that the English were mad, in their pursuit of beaver, 
since they could thiis expose their lives for it; " for," 
added they, " the Upper Indians will certainly kill 
him," meaning myself. These Indians had left their 
village before the surrender of Montreal, and I was 
the first Englishman they had seen. 

In conversation with my men, I learned that the 
Algonquins, of the lake Des Deux Montagues, of which 
description were the party that I had now met, claim 
all the lands on the Outaouais, as far as Lake 
Mpisingue; and that these lands are subdivided, 
between their several families, upon whom they have 
devolved by inheritance. I was also informed, that 
thej are exceedingly strict, as to the rights of property, 
in this regard, accoimting an invasion of them an 
offence, sufficiently great to warrant the death of the 
invader. 

We now reached the channels of the Grand Calu- 
met, Avhich lie amid numerous islands, and are about 
twenty miles in length. In this distance, there are 
four carrying-places,* besides three or four decharges,'\ 
or discharges, which are places where the merchandize 
only is carried, and are therefore distinguishable from 
portages, or carrying-places, where the canoe itself is 

* Portage Dufort, &c. t Decharge des Sables, &c. 



24 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

taken out of the water, and transported on men's 
shoulders. The four carrying-places/^ included in the 
channels, are short; with the exception of one, called 
the Portage de la Montague, at which, besides its 
length, there is an accli\atj of a hundred feet. 

On the 10th of July, we had reached the Portage du 
Grand Calumet, which is at the head of the channels of 
the same name, and which name is derived from the 
pierre a Calumet, or pipe-stone,* which here interrupts 
the river, occasioning a fall of water. This carrying- 
place is long and arduous," consisting in a high steep 
hill, over which the canoe cannot he carried by fewer 
than twelve men. The method of carrying the pack- 
ages, or pieces, as they are called, is the same with that 
of the Indian women, and which, indeed, is not 
peculiar, even to them. One piece rests and hangs 
upon the shoulders, being suspended in a fillet, or fore- 
head-band; and upon this is laid a second, which 
usually falls into the hollow of the neck, and assists the 
head, in its support of the burden. 

The ascent of this carrying-place is not more 
fatiguing, than the descent is dangerous; and, in per- 

* The pierre a calumet is a compact lime- stone, yielding 
easily to the knife, and therefore employed for the bowls of 
tobacco-pipes, both by the Indians and Canadians . 



""' Portages Du Fort, de la Montague, D'Argis, and a smaller 
nameless one. 

" Mackenzie says, "This is the longest carrying place in this 
river and is about two thousand and thirfcy-five paces." 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 25 

forming it, accidents too often occur, producing strains, 
ruptures, and injuries for life.* 

The carrjing-place, and the repairs of our canoes, 
which cost us a day, detained, us till the 13th. It is 
usual for the canoes to leave the Grand Calumet in 
good repair; the rapids, or shallow rocky parts of the 
channel (from which the canoes sustain the chief in- 
jury) being now passed, the current become gentle, 
and the carrying-places less frequent. The lands, 
above the carrying-places, and near the water, are low; 
and, in the spring, entirely inundated. \ 

On the morning of the 14th, we reached a trading 
fort, or house, surrounded by a stockade, which had 
been built by the French, and at which the quantity of 
peltries received was once not inconsiderable. For 
twenty miles below this house, the borders of the river 
are peculiarly well adapted to cultivation. From some 
Indians, who were encamped near the house, I pur- 
chased fish, dried and fresh. 

At the rapids, called Des AUumettes, are two short 
carrying-places, above which is the riviere CreuseA 
twenty-six miles in length, where the water flows, 
with a gentle current, at the foot of a high, mountain- 
ous, barren and rocky country, on the north, and has a 
low and sandy soil on the south. On this southern side, 
is a remarkable point of sand, stretching far into the 

* A charitable fund is now established in Montreal for the 
relief of disabled and decayed voyageurs, 

t Called, by the English, Deep-river. 



26 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

stream, and on which it is customary to baptize novices. 
Above the river Creuse, are the two carrying-places, of 
the length of half a mile each, called the Portages des 
Deux Joachins ;''* and, at fifteen miles^' further, at the 
mouth of the river Du Moine, is another fort, or 
trading-house, where I found a small encampment of 
Indians called Maskegons,""and with whom I bartered 
several articles, for furs. They anxiously inquired, 
whether or not the English were in possession of the 
country below, and whether or not, if they were, they 
would allow traders to come to that trading-house; de- 
claring, that their families must starve, unless they 
should be able to procure ammunition and other neces- 
saries. I answered both these questions in the affirma- 
tive, at which they expressed much satisfaction. 

Above the Moine, are several strong and dangerous 
rapids, reaching to the Portage du Roche-Capitaine, a 
carrying-place of tliree quarters of a mile in length,-' 
mountainous, rocky, and wooded only with stunted 
pine-trees and spruce. Above this, is the Portage des 
Dieux Rivieres, so called, from the two small rivers bj^ 
which it is intersected'"'; and, higher still, are many 

'* " The first is 926 paces and the next 720, and both very 
bad roads." — Mackenzie. 

'^ Nine miles. 

-" One of the divisions of the Algonquins, now known as the 
Muskey, or Swampy Crees, who occupy the country to the 
north and north-west of the Lake of the Woods. The name is 
variously spelled Maskigoes, Maskegon, Muscaigoes. 

-' 720 paces. — Mackenzie. 

-- The portage of the two rivers is 820 paces. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 27 

rapids, and shoals, called, by tlie Indians, matawa.'^ 
Here, the river, called, by the French, Petite Riviere, 
and, by the Indians, Matawa Sim, falls into the Outa- 
ouais. We now left the latter of these rivers, and pro- 
ceeded to ascend the Matawa.-^ 



* Mataouan (Matawan), Charlevoix; Matawoen, — Mackenzie's 
Voyages. 

^ Now known as the River Mattawan, near the junction of 
which with the Ottawa, is the town of Mattawa. The 
mouth of the Mattawan is 308 miles from Montreal. 



CHAPTER III. 

Voyage from Montreal to Michilimackinac, conti- 
nued. River Matawa. Lake Nipisingue. Height 
of land. Nipisingues, Indians so called, — their 
nation and language. Animals of the country. 
Mouth of the lake. Portage de la Chaudiere Fran- 
caise. Traces of the ancient action of water at high 
levels. River des Frangais. Embark on Lake 
Huron. Description of its northern shores. Isle 
de la Cloche. Indian Village. Missisakies. 
Indians persuaded that the Author will he killed, 
at Michilimackinac. and therefore demand a share 
in the pillage. Author disguises himself, as a 
Canadian — in what that disguise consists — meets 
frequent canoes, filled with Indians, and is not 
recognized to be an Englishman. River Missisaki. 
Islands of Manitoualin. Indians cultivate maize. 
River O'tossalon. Island of Michilimackinac. 
Indian Village. 

OUR course, in ascending the Outaouais, had been 
west-north-west; but, on entering the Matawa, our 
faces were turned to the south-west.^ This latter river 
is computed to be fourteen leagues in length." In the 

^ The general course of the Mattawan is from the west. 

- The Mattawan river rises in Trout lake, formerly known as 
Turtle lake, and is thirty-four miles in length. 



TRAVELS, &c. 29 

widest parts, it is a hundred yards broad, and in 
others not more than fifty. In ascending it, there are 
fourteen carrying-places and discharges, of which some 
are extremely difficult. Its banks are almost two con- 
tinuous rocks, with scarcely earth enough for the 
burial of a dead body. I saw Indian graves, if graves 
they might be called, where the corpse was laid upon 
the bare rock, and covered with stones. In the side of 
a hill, on the north side of the river, there is a curious 
cave, concerning which marvellous tales are related, by 
the voyageurs. Mosquitoes, and a minute species of 
black fly, abound on this river, the latter of ,which are 
still more troublesome than the former. To obtain a 
respite from their vexations, we were obliged, at the 
carrying-places, to make fires, and stand in the smoke. 

On the 26th of August, we reached the Porta- 
ges a la Vase,^ three in number, and each two miles in 
length. Their name describes the boggy ground of 
which they consist. In passing one of them, we saw 
many beaver-houses and dams; and by breaking one of 
the dams, we let off water enough to float our canoes 
down a small stream, which would not otherwise have 
been navigable. These carrying-places, and the inter- 
mediate navigation, brought us, at length, to the head 
of a small river,* which falls into Lake Nipisingue. 
We had now passed the country, of which the streams 
fall north-eastward, into the Outaouais, and entered 

^ Muddy, swampy — the portage, about four miles in length, 
crosses the township of Ferris diagonally. 

*Le Reviere de Vase — it is about one and a half miles from 
where the portage ceases, to Lake Nipissing. 



30 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

that from which they flow, in a contrary direction, 
toward Lake Huron. On one side of the lieiqlit of 
land, which is the reciprocal boundary of these regions, 
we had left Lake aux Tourtres and the river Matawa; 
and before us, on the other, was Lake iSTipisingue. 
The banks of the little river, by which we descended 
into the lake, and more especially as we approached the 
lake, were of an exceedingly delightful appearance, 
covered with high grass, and affording an extensive 
prospect. Both the lake and river abound in black 
bass, sturgeon, pike and other fish. Among the pike, is 
to be included the species, called, by the Indians, 
masquinonge^ In two hours, with the assistance of an 
Indian, we took as much fish as all the party could eat. 

Lake ]*^ipisingue is distant two hundred leagues from 
Montreal. Its circumference is said to measure one 
hundred and fifty miles, and its depth is sufficient for 
vessels of any burden. On our voyage, along its eastern 
banks, we met some canoes of Indians, who said they 
lived on the north-western side. My men informed me 
that they were Nipisingues," a name which they derive 
from the lake. Their language is a dialect of the 

'^ Esox nobilior, or maskinonge, maskalonge, mascalonge, 
muskalonge, muskalunge. Ojibway : maskenozha, great pickerel, 
or pike. 

" First visited by Champlain in 1613, by whom they were 
called the Nebecerini. They belong to the Algonquin family 
and are said by Charlevoix to alone preserve the original type 
of that race and language. Their present reserve of 64,000 
acres, is situated on the north shore of Lake Nipissing. They 
numbered, in 1897, 200 men, women and children. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 31 

Algonquin; and, by nation, they are a mixture of 
Cliipeways and Maskegons. Tliey had a large quantity 
of furs, part of which I purchased. The animals, 
which the country affords them, are the beaver, mar- 
ten, bear and oHic, a'tic, or caribou, a species of deer, 
by some called the rein-deer. They wished for rum, 
but I avoided selling or giving them any. 

Leaving the Indians, we proceeded to the mouth 
of the lake, at which is the carrying-place of La Chau- 
diere Fran9aise,* a name, part of which it has obtained 
from the holes, in the rock over which we passed; and 
which holes, being of the kind which is known to be 
formed by water, with the assistance of pebbles, demon- 
strate that it has not always been dry, as at present it is;' 
but the phenomenon is not peculiar to this spot, the 
same being observable, at almost every carrying-place 
on the Outaouais. At the height of a hundred feet 
above the river, I commonly found pebbles, worn into 
a round form, like those upon the beach below. Every- 
where, the water appears to have subsided from its 
ancient levels; and imagination may anticipate an era, 
at which even the banks of ISTewfoundland will be left 
bare. 

* Or, la Ghaudiere des Frangais. 

' Geologists have, of late years, decided that at one period in 
the history of the great lakes, the waters which then stood at a 
higher level, escaped by the French river. Lake Nipissing and 
the Ottawa river, instead of passing over the falls of Niagara, 
descending by the same route by which Henry ascended. Pot 
holes in the gneissoid rocks on the border of Lake Huron and 
the rivers mentioned are of frequent occurrence. The contrac- 
tion of the great lakes has left them far above high water mark. 



32 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

The soutliem shores of Lake Nipisingue are rocky, 
and only thinly covered with pine-trees and spruce, 
both, as in several instances already mentioned, of 
a small stature. The carrying-place of La Chau- 
diere Fran(;aise is at the head of the river Des Fran^ais, 
and where the water first descends from the level of 
Lake Nipising-ue toward that of Lake Huron. This it 
does not reach till it has passed down many rapids, full 
of danger to the canoes and the men, after which it 
enters Lake Huron by several arms, flowing through 
each, as through a mill-race. The river Des Frangais is 
twenty leagues in length," and has many islands in its 
channel. Its banks are uniformly of rock. Among 
the caiTying-places, at which we successively amved, 
are the Portage des Pins, or, du Pin; de la Grande 
Faucille; * de la Petite Faucille; and du Sault du 
Recolet,t" Near the mouth of the river, a meadow, 
called La Prairie des Frangais, varies, for a short space, 
the rocky surface, which so generally prevails; and, on 
this spot, we encamped, and repaired our canoes. The 
carrying-places were now all passed, and what remained 

* Faucille, Fr. a sickle. 

t So called, perhaps, on account of the resemblance of this 
Sault to that of the Sault du Recolet, between the islands of 
Montreal and Jesus, and which has its name from the death of 
a Recolet or Franciscan friar, who was there drowned. 



^The French river is fifty-five miles long. 

^ Mackenzie says the portages on the branch of the river 
usually chosen are Le Chaudiere des Francois, 544 paces ; des 
Pins, 52 paces ; Feausille, 36 paces ; Parisienne, 100 paces ; 
Recolet 45 paces ; Petite Feausille, 25 paces. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 33 

was, to cross tlie billows of Lake Huron, wliicli lay 
stretched across our horizon, like an ocean. 

On the thirty-first day of Ang:ust, we entered the 
lake, the waves running liigli? from the south, and 
breakina: over numerous rocks. At first, I thought the 
prospect alarming ; but the canoes rode on the water 
with the ease of a sea-bird, and my apprehensions 
ceased. We passed Point de Grondines/" so called, from 
the perpetual noise of the water among the rocks. 
Many of these rocks are sunken, and not without dan- 
ger, when the wind, as at this time it was, is from the 
south. 

We coasted along many small islands, or rather 
rocks, of more or less extent, either wholly bare, or 
very scantily covered with scrub pine-trees. All the 
land to the northward is of the same description, 
as high as Cha'ba'bou'an'ing'," where verdure re- 
appears. 

On the following day, we reached an island, called 
La Cloche, because there is here a rock, standing on a 
plain, which, being struck, rings like a bell.^" 

1" A marked promentory, jutting out from the Indian reserve 
No. 3, township of Humboldt. 

" Shebawenahning, the name of the village now known as 
Killarney. The Bev. Peter Jacobs (Journals p. 385) spells it 
Shebahoonahning. 

12 " The island of La Cloche is high, compact in shape, and of 
considerable size. It is so called from some of its rocks ringing 
like a bell on being struck. This particularly applies to one 
loose basaltic mass lying on the shore, fifteen miles below the 
little Sagamuc, and about three yards square." — Bigsby, "'■The-. 
SJioe and Canoe," Vol. 2, page 105. 
3 



34 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

1 fc>und the island inhabited by a large village of 
Indians, whose behaviour was at first full of civility 
and kindness. I bartered away some small articles 
among them, in exchange for fish and dried meat; and 
we remained upon friendly terms, till, discovering that 
I was an Englishman, they told my men, that the In- 
dians, at Michilimackinac, would not fail to kill me, 
and that, therefore, they had a right to a share of the 
pillage. Upon this principle, as they said, they de- 
manded a keo- of rimi, adding, that if not given them, 
they would proceed to take it. I judged it prudent to 
comply; on condition, however, that I should experi- 
ence, at this place, no further molestation. 

The condition was not unfaithfully observed; but 
the repeated warnings which I had now received, of 
sure destruction at Michilimackinac, could not but 
oppress my mind. I could not even yield myself, vdth- 
out danger, to the course suggested by my fears; for 
my provisions were nearly exhausted, and to return, 
was, therefore, almost impracticable. 

The hostility of the Indians was exclusively against 
the English. Between them, and my Canadian 
attendants, there appeared the most cordial good will. 
This circumstance suggested one means of escape, of 
which, by the advice of my friend. Campion, I resolved 
to attempt availing myself; and which was, that of 
putting on the dress, usually worn by such of the 
Canadians as pursue the trade into which I had entered, 
and assimilating myself, as much as I was able, to their 
appearance and manners. To this end, I laid aside my 
English clothes, and covered myself only ^vith a cloth. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 35 

passed about the middle ; a sliirt, hanging loose ; a mol- 
ton, or blanket coat; and a large, red, milled worsted 
cap. Tlie next thing was to smear my face and hands 
with dirt, and grease; and, this done, I took the place 
of one of my men, and, when Indians approached, used 
the paddle, with as much skill as I possessed. I had 
the satisfaction to find, that my disguise enabled me to 
pass several canoes, without attracting the smallest 
notice. 

In this manner, I pursued my voyage to the mouth, 
or rather mouths, of the Missisaki/^ a river which de- 
scends from the north, and of which the name imports, 
that it has several mouths, or outlets. From this river, 
all the Indians, inhabiting the north side of Lake 
Huron, are called Missisakies.-^* There is here a plentiful 

^^ Mississagua, Mississagui, Massassaga river is reported by 
Sir William Logan to be about 120 miles long and has two 
entrances, one on each side of a marshy tongue of land 1400 
yards across. The eastern entrance is 120 yards broad. 

^* " The Mississaga Indians as early as the year 1648, are des- 
cribed as dwelling around the river ' Mississague ' * * * During 
the early years of the eighteenth century they advanced gradually 
eastward and southward, taking possession of much of what is 
now the Province of Ontario, not, however, without many a 
fierce and bloody fight with their hereditary foes, the savage 
Iroquois. Their chief settlements in Ontario were on the banks 
of the River Credit, near Toronto, and on the Islands and shores 
of the Bay of Quinte." — Gliamberlain, ''^Language of the Missis- 
saga Indians," p. 7. They belonged to the great Algonquin 
family and called themselves " Mississagas of the Ojibway 
nation." They are now settled on reserves at Alnwick, New 
Credit, Rice Lake, Mud Lake and Scugog, and numbered in 
1898, 755 men, women and children. 



36 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

sturgeon-fislierv, by whicli those, that resort to it, are 
fed during' the summer months. On our voyage, we 
met several Missisakies, of whom we bought fish, and 
from whose stock we might easily have filled all our 
canoes. 

From the Missisaki, which is on the north shore of 
Lake Huron, to Michilimackinac, which is on the 
south, is reckoned thirty leaj^^ues.^'' The lake, which 
here approaches Lake Superior, is now contracted in its 
breadth, as well as filled with islands. From the mouth 
of the river Des Francais, to the Missisaki, is reckoned 
fifty leagues,"' with many islands along the route. Tlie 
lands everywhere, from the island of La Cloche, are 
poor ; with the exception of those of the island of Mani- 
toualin, a hundred miles in lengi:h,* where they are 
generally good. On all the islands, the Indians culti- 
vate small quantities of maize. 

* The Isle Manitouulin was formerly so described. It is now 
known, that there is no island in Lake Huron, of a hundred 
miles in length, and that the Manitotialin are a chain of islands. 
The French writers on Canada, speak of the Isle Manitoualin, 
as inhabited, in their time, by the Amikoues (Amicways, 
Amicwac), whom they called a family (and sometimes a nation), 
deriving its origin from the Great Beaver, a personage of 
mythological importance. The name Manitoxialin, implies the 
residence of Manitoes, or genii, a distinction very commonly 
attributed to the islands, and sometimes to the shores, of Lakes 
Huron and Superior, and of which, further examples will 
present themselves, in the course of these pages. 

^■'' The distance is about eighty-eight miles. 

'" By taking the most direct course the distance is about 110 
miles. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 37 

From the Missisaki, we proceeded to the O'tossalon*^^ 
and thence across the lake, makmg one island after 
another, at intervals of from two to three leagues. The 
lake, as far as it could be seen, tended to the westward, 
and became less and less broad. 

The first land, which we made, on the south shore, 
was that called Point du Detour, after which, we pass- 
ed the island called Isle au^: Outardes, and then, 
leaving on the right, the deep bay of Boutchitaouy 
came to the island of Michilimackinac, distant, from 
Isle aux Outardes,^^ three leagues. On our way, a 
sudden squall reduced us to the point of throwing over 
the cargoes of our canoes, to save the latter from filling; 
but the. wind subsided, and we reached the island in 
safety. 

The land, in the centre of this island, is high, and its 
form somewhat resembles that of a turtle's back. 
Mackinac, or Mickinac, signifies a turtle, and michi 
(misJii), or missi, signifies qreat, as it does also several, 
or many. The common interpretation, of the word 

■^ Also written Tessalon, Thessolon, and des Tessalons. 

I'^The Thessalon river falls into Lake Huron about twenty-six 
miles to the west of the Mississagua river. 

1* Point du Detour is the well-known cape which forms the 
western extremity of the northern Michigan peninsula, called, 
from its importance, the Grand Detour. On the eastern side 
of the channel is Drummond Island, which was originally known 
as L'Isle du Detour. Boutchitaouy Bay is the deep indentation 
opposite Mackinac, on the north. The Isle aux Outardes has 
been degraded into Goose Island. 



38 ■ TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

Michilimachinac is the Great Turtle. It is from this 
island, that the fort, commonly known by the name of 
Michilimackinac, has obtained its appellation. 

On the island, as I had been previously taught to 
expect, there was a village of Chipeways, said to con- 
tain a hundred warriors. Here, I was fearful of dis- 
covery and consequent ill-treatment; but after in- 
quiring the news, and, particularly, whether or not any 
Englishman was coming to Michilimackinac, they 
suffered us to pass, uninjured. One man, indeed, look- 
ed at me, laughed, and pointed me out to another. 
This was enough to give me some uneasiness; but, 
whatever was the singularity he perceived in me, both 
he and his friend retired, without suspecting me to be 
an Englishman. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Fort Michilimackinac. Chipeways, of the Island 
of Michilimackinac — their appearance— demeanour 
— and treatment of the Author. Otawas, of the 
village of UArhre Croche — their condition — their 
treatment of the Author and others. Arrival of a 
British ga.rrison. 

LEAVING, as speedily as possible, tlie island of 
Michilimackinac, I crossed tlie strait, and landed at the 
fort, of the same name. The distance, from the island, 
is about two leagues. I landed, at four o'clock in the 
afternoon. 

Here, I put the entire charge of my effects into the 
hands of my assistant, Campion, between whom and 
myself it had been previously agreed, that he should 
pass for the proprietor; and my men were instructed to 
conceal the fact, that I v/as an Englishman. 

Campion, soon found a house, to which I retired, 
and where I hoped to remain in privacy; but the men 
^oon betrayed my secret, and I was visited by the in- 
habitants, with great show of civility. They assured 
me, that I could not stay at Michilimackinac without 
the most imminent risk; and strongly recommended, 
that I should lose no time, in making my escape, to 
Detroit.- 



40 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Thou^li languaj^e, like this, could not but increase 
mj uneasiness, it did not sliake my determination, to 
remain witli my property, and encounter the evils with 
which I was threatened; and my spirits were in some 
measure sustained by the sentiments of Campion, in 
this regard; for he declared his belief, that the 
Canadian inhabitants of the fort were more hostile 
than the Indians, as being jealous of English traders, 
who, like myself, were penetrating into the country. 

Eort Michilimackinac was built by order of the 
governor-general of Canada/ and garrisoned with a 
small number of militia, who, having families, soon, 
became less soldiers than settlers. Most of those, whom 
I found in the fort, had originally served in the French 
ai*my. 

The fort stands on the south side of the strait 
which is between Lake Huron and Lake ]\iichigan. It 
has an area of two acres and is enclosed with pickets 



1 The original French fort of Michilimackinac was established 
by Pere Marquette as a mission station at Point St. Ignace, on 
the north side of the straits. Here it remained until 1706 when 
it was deserted. In 1712, Vaudreuil, the governor-general, sent 
DeLouvigny to re-establish the fort, which he did, removing it, 
however, to the south side of the straits at the place now known 
as "Old Mackinaw." This was the fcrt which was taken pos- 
session of by the British in 1764 and remained in their occupa- 
tion until 1781. A new fort, more easily defensible, was then 
erected on Michilimackinac island, about eight miles distant and 
the old fort of Henry's day was allowed to fall into decay. An 
interesting view of the ruins will be found in Schoolcraft's 
History of the Indian Tribes of North America, vol. 1, p. 243. 



Carte du Detroit 

entre le lac superieuret 

le lac huron,. 

avec le Sauk Sainte iviane et le Poste de 

MickiHiinakinac , 
Dresse. sur leirJflcuutscfTMf dwDepotdes 
jjU^ Carte^r et Plans de [<v ALarine 




Fr&in Charlevoix's ''Joimial d'un Voyage dans VAmeHqiie Septentrionnale/' Vol. 5. Paris, 17U- 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 41 

oi' cedar-wood ;* and it is so near the water's edge, that, 
when the wind is in the west, the waves break against 
the stockade. On the bastions, are two small pieces 
of brass English cannon, taken some years since, by 
a party of Canadians, who went on a plundeoring ex- 
pedition," against the posts of Hudson's Bay which 
they reached by the route of the river Churchill. 

Within the stockade, are thirty houses, neat in their 
appearance, and tolerably commodious; and a church, 
in which mass is celebrated, by a Jesuit missionary. 
The number of families may be nearly equal to that of 
the houses; and their subsistence is derived from the 
Indian traders, who assemble here, in their voyages to 
and from Montreal. Michilimackinac is the place of 
deposit, and point of departure, between the upper 
countries and the lower. Here, the outfits are prepared 
for the countries of Lake Michigan and the Missisipi, 
Lake Superior and the north-west; and here, the re- 
turns, in furs, are collected, and embarked for Mont- 
real. 

1 was not released from the visits and admonitions 
of the inhabitants of the fort, before I received the 
equivocal intelligence, that the whole band of Chipe- 
ways, from the island of Michilimackinac, waf; arrived, 
with the intention of paying me a visit. 

* Thuya occidentalis. 

2 This was evidently part of the plunder taken by the party 
under the command of De Troyes and Iberville which captured 
Forts Albany and Hayes in 1686. 



42 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

There was, in the fort, one Farley, an interpreter, 
lately in the employ of the French commandant. 
He had married a Chipeway woman, and was said to 
possess great influence over the nation to which his 
wife belonged. Doubtful, as to the kind of visit which 
I was about to receive, I sent for this interpreter, and 
requested, first, that he would have the kindness to be 
present at the interview, and, secondly, that he would 
inform me of the intentions of the band. M. Farley 
agreed to be present; and, as to the object of the visit, 
replied, that it was consistent with uniform custom, 
that a stranger, on his arrival, should be waited upon, 
and welcomed, by the chiefs of the nation, who, on 
their part, always gave a small present, and always ex- 
pected a large one; but, as to the rest, declared himself 
unable to answer for the particular views of the 
Chipeways, on this occasion, I being an Englishman, 
and the Indians having made no treaty with the Eng- 
lish. He thought that there might be danger, the 
Indians having protested that they would not suffer an 
Englishman to remain in their part of the country. — 
This information was far from agi'eeable ; but there was 
no resource, except in fortitude and patience. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Chipeways 
came to my house, about sixty in number, and headed 
by MinaVa'va'na', their chief. They walked in single 
file, each with his tomahawk in one hand, and scalping- 
knife in the other. Their bodies were naked, from the 
waist upward; except in a few examples, where blankets 
were throAvn loosely over the shoulders. Their faces 
were painted with charcoal, worked up with grease; 
their bodies, with white clay, in patterns of various 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 43 

fancies. Some had feathers thrust through their 
noses, and their heads decorated with the same. — It is 
unnecessary to dwell on the sensations with which I 
beheld the approach of this uncouth, if not frightful 
assemblage. 

The chief entered first; and the rest followed, with- 
out noise. On receiving a sign from the tonner, the 
latter seated themselves on the floor. 

Minavavana appeared to be about fifty years of age. 
He was six feet in height, and had, in his countenance, 
an indescribable mixture of good and evil. — Looking 
steadfastly at me, where I sat in ceremony, with an in- 
terpreter on either hand, and several Canadians behind 
me, he entered at the same time into conversation 
with Campion, inquiring how long it was since I 
left Montreal, and observing, that the English, as it 
would seem, were brave men, and not afraid of death, 
since they dared to come, as I had done, fearlessly 
among their enemies. 

The Indians now gravely smoked their pipes, while 
I inwardly endured the tortures of suspense. — At 
length, the pipes being finished, as well as a long pause, 
by which they were succeeded, Minavavana, taking a 
few strings of wampum in his hand, began the follow- 
ing speech : 

" Englishman, it is to you that I speak, and I de- 
" mand your attention ! 

" Englishman, you know that the French king is our 
" father. He promised to be such ; and we, in return, 



44 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

" promised to be his children. — This promise we have 
" kept. 

" Englishman, it is you that have made war with this 
" our father. You are his enemy ; and how, then, could 
" you have the boldness to venture among us, his 
"children? — You know that his enemies are ours. 

" Englishman, we are informed, that our father, the 
" king of France, is old and infirm ; and that being 
" fatigued, with making war upon your nation, he is 
" fallen asleep. During his sleep, you have taken 
" advantage of him, and possessed yourselves of 
" Canada. But, his nap is almost at an end. I think I 
" hear him already stirring, and enquiring for his 
" children, the Indians : — and, when he does awake, 
"what must become of you* He will destroy you 
"utterly! 

" Englishman, although you have conquered the 
" French, you have not .yet conquered us! We are not 
" your slaves. These lakes, these woods and mountains, 
" were left to us by our ancestors. They are our inherit- 
"ance; and we will part with them to none. Your 
" nation supposes that we, like the white people, cannot 
"live without bread — and pork — and beef! But, you 
" ought to know, that He, the Great Spirit and Master 
" of Life, has provided food for us, in these spacious 
" lakes, and on these woody mountains. 

" Englishman, our father, the king of France, em- 
" ployed our young men to make war upon your nation. 
" In this warfare, many of them have been killed ; and 
" it is our custom to retaliate, until such time as the 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 45 

" spirits of the slaiu are satisfied. But, tlae spirits of tlie 
" slain are to be satisfied in either of two ways; the first 
" is by the spilling of the blood of the nation by which 
" they fell ; the other, by covering the hodies of the 
" dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their rela- 
" tions. This is done by making presents. 

" Englishman, your king has never sent us any 
" presents, nor entered into any treaty with us, where- 
" fore he and we are still at war; and, until he does 
" these things, we must consider that we have no other 
" father, nor friend, among the white men, than the 
" king of France ; but, for you, we have taken into eon- 
" sideration, that you have ventured your life among us, 
" in the expectation that we should not molest you. 
" You do not come armed, with an intention to make 
" war; you come in peace, to trade with us, and supply 
'' us with necessaries, of which -we are in much want. 
" We shall regard you, therefore, as a brother; and you 
" may sleep tranquilly, without fear of the Chipeways. 
" — As a token of our friendship, we present you with 
" this pipe, to smoke." 

As Minavavana uttered these words, an Indian pre- 
sented me with a pipe, which, after I had drawn the 
smoke three times, was carried to the chief, and after 
him to every person in the room. This ceremony end- 
ed, the chief arose, and gave me his hand, in which he 
was followed by all the rest. 

Being again seated, Minavavana requested that his 
young men might be allowed to taste what he called my 
English milk (meaning rum) — observing, that it was 



46 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

lou^ since tliej had tasted any, and that they were very 
desirous to know, whether or not there were any differ- 
ence be tween the English milk and the French. 

My adventure, on leaving Fort William-Augustus,^ 
had left an impression on my mind, which made me 
tremble when Indians asked for rum; and I would 
therefore willingly have excused myself in this parti- 
cular; but, being informed that it was customary to 
comply with the request, and withal satished with the 
friendly declarations which I had received, I promised 
to give them a small cask, at parting. 

After this, by the aid of my interpreter, I made a 
reply to the speech of Miaavavana/ declaring that it 



^ Fort de Levis, the capture of which was narrated by Henry 
in his first chapter, was re-named by the British, Fort William- 
Augustus. 

* He is thus described by Carver in 1767 : "At some little 
distance behind these stood a chief, remarkably tall and well 
made, but of so stern an aspect that the most undaunted person 
could not behold him without feeling some degree of terror. 
He seemed to have passed the meridian of life, and by the 
mode in which he was painted and tatowed, I discovered that he 
was of high rank. However, I approached him in a courteous 
manner and expected to have met the same reception I had 
done from the others, but, to my great surprise, he with-held 
his hand, and looking fiercely at me, said in the Chipeway 
tongue, "Cawin nishishin saganosh," that is, "The English 
are no good." As he had his tomahawk in his hand, I expected 
that this laconic sentence would have been followed by a blow ; 
to prevent which I drew a pistol from my belt, and, holding it 
in a careless position, passed close to him, to let him see I was 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 47 

was the good character, which I had heard of the 
Indians, that had alone emboldened me to come among 
them; that their late father, the king of France, had 
surrendered Canada to the king of England, whom 
they ought now to regard as their father, and who 
would be as careful of them as the other had been; that 
I had come to furnish them with necessaries, and that 
their good treatment of me would be an encouragement 
to others. — They appeared satisfied with what I said, 
repeating eh! (an expression of approbation) after hear- 
ing each particular. I had prepared a present, which I 
now gave them, with the utmost good will. At their 
departure, I distributed a small quantity of rum. 

Relieved, as I now imagined myself, from all occa- 
sion of anxiety, as to the treatment which I was to ex- 
perience, from the Indians, I assorted my goods, and 
hired Canadian interpreters and clerks, in whose care 
I was to send them into Lake Michigan, and the river 

not afraid of him. I learned soon after from the other Indians, 
that this was a chief, called by the French the Grand Sautor, 
or the Great Chipeway Chief, for they denominate the Chipe- 
ways, Sautors. They likewise told me that he had been always 
a steady friend to that people, and when they delivered up 
Michilimackinac to the English, on their evacuation of Canada, 
the Grand Sautor had sworn that he would ever remain the 
avowed enemy of its new possessors, as the territories on which 
the fort is built belonged to him. * * * Since I came to 
England, I have been informed that the Grand Sautor having 
rendered himself more and more disgustful to the English by 
his inveterate enmity towards them, was at length stabbed in 
his tent as he encamped near Michilimackinac, by a trader." — 
" Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America," by 
J. Carver, p. 96, London. 1781. 



48 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Saint-Pieire, in the country of the Nadowessies;^ into 
Lake Superior, among the Chipeways, and to the Grand 
Portage, for the north-west.'' Everything was ready 
for their departure, when new dangers sprung up, and 
thi'catened to overw^helm me. 

At the entrance of Lake Michigan, and at about 
twenty miles to the west of Fort Michilimackinac, is the 
village of L'Arbre Croche, inhabited by a band of 
Otawas, boasting of two hundred and fifty fighting men. 
L'Arbre Croche^ is the seat of the Jesuit mission of Saint 
Ignace de Michilimackinac, and the people are partly 
baptized, and partly not. The missionary resides on a 
farm, attached to the mission, and situated between the 
village and the foit, both of which are under his care. 



^Dakota or Sioux Indians — the latter name is said by Trum- 
bull to be an abbreviation of Nadowessioux, which is a corrup- 
tion of Nadowe-ssi-way, "the snake-like ones." They have 
always been war-like tribes, hostile to both whites and other 
Indians. 

•^ Henry here gives some idea of the extent of country over 
which the Canadian fur traders carried on their operations. 
His employees were to travel through the countries of the 
Menomonies, Winnebagos, Saukies, Ottigaumies, until they 
reached the Mississippi in the neighbourhood of St. Paul's, where 
they were to cross into the country of the Sioux. Another 
party had for its district the southern side of Lake Superior 
and a third among the nations between the west end of Lake 
Superior and the Saskatchewan. 

^ After the death of Marquette, and the desertion by the 
traders of the mission station of St. Ignace, on the north side of 
the straits, the mission was removed to the Ottawa village of 
L'Arbre Croche. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 49 

The Otawas of L'Arbre Croche, who, when compared 
with the Chipeways, appear to be much advanced in 
civilization, grow maize, for the market of Michili- 
mackinac, where this commodity is depended upon, for 
provisionii};D' the canoes. 

The new dangers, which presented themselves, came 
from this village of Otawas. Every thing, as I have 
said, was in readiness, for the departure of my goods, 
when accounts arrived of its approach ; and shortly after 
two hundred warriors entered the fort, and billeted 
themselves in the several houses, among the Canadian 
inhabitants. The next morning, they assembled in the 
house which was built for the commandant, or 
governor, and ordered the attendance of myself, and of 
two other merchants, still later from Montreal, namely, 
Messrs. Stanley Goddard and Ezekiel Solomons. 

After our entering the council-room, and taking 
our seats, one of the chiefs commenced an address: 
" Englishmen," said he, " we, the Otawas, were some 
" time since informed of your arrival in this country, 
" and of your having brought with you the goods of 
" which we have need. At this news, we were greatly 
" pleased, believing that through your assistance, our 
" wives and children would be enabled to pass another 
" winter; but, what was our surprise, when, a few days 
" ago, we were again informed, that the goods which,. 
" as we had expected, were intended for us were, on the 
" eve of departure, for distant countries, of which some 
" are inhabited by our enemies! These accounts being 
" spread, our wives and children came to us, crying, and 
" desiring that we should go to the fort, to learn, with 
4 



50 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

" our own ears, their truth or falsehood. We according- 
" ly embarked, almost naked, as you see ; and on our 
" arrival here, we have inquired into the accounts, and 
" found them true. We see your canoes ready to de- 
" part, and find your men engaged for the Missisipi, and 
" other distant regions. 

" Under these circumstances, we have considered the 
" affair; and you are now sent for, that you may hear 
" our determination, which is, that you shall give to our 
" men, young and old, merchandize and ammunition, to 
" the amount of fifty beaver-skins, on credit, and for 
" which I have no doubt of their paying you in the sum- 
" mer, on their return from their wintering." 

A compliance with this demand would have stripped 
me and my fellow-merchants of all our merchandize; 
and, what rendered the affair still more serious, we even 
learned that these Otawas were never accustomed to 
pay for what they received on credit. In reply, there- 
fore, to the speech which we had heard, we requested 
that the demand contained in it might be diminished; 
but we were answered, that the Otawas had nothing 
further to say, except that they would allow till the 
next day for reflection; after which, if compliance was 
not given, they would make no further application, but 
take into their own hands the property, which they 
already regarded as their own, as having been brought 
into their country, before the conclusion of any peace, 
between themselves and the English. 

We now returned, to consider of our situation; and, 
in the evening, Farley, the interpreter, paid us a visit. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 51 

and assured us that it was the intention of the Otawas 
to put us, that night, to death. He advised us, as our 
only means of safety, to comply with the demands 
which had been made; but, we suspected our informant 
of a disposition to prey upon our fears, with a view to 
induce us to abandon the Indian trade, and resolved, 
however this might be, rather to stand on the defensive, 
than submit. We ti-usted to the house, in which I lived, 
as a fort; and armed ourselves, and about thirty of our 
men, with muskets. Whether or not the Otawas ever 
intended violence, we never had an opportunity of 
knowing ; but the night passed quietly. 

Early the next morning, a second council was held, 
and the merchants were again summoned to attend. 
Believing that every hope of resistance would be lost, 
should we commit our persons into the hands of our 
enemies, we sent only a refusal. There was none with- 
out, in whom we had any confidence, except Campion. 
From him we learned, from time to time, whatever was 
rumoured among the Canadian inhabitants, as to the 
designs of the Otawas; and, from him, toward sunset, 
we received the gratifying intelligence, that a detach- 
ment of British soldiery, sent to garrison Michili- 
mackinac, was distant only five miles, and would enter 
the fort early the next morning. 

Near at hand, however, as relief was reported to 
be, our anxietv could not but be great; for a long- 
night was to be passed, and our fate might be deci- 
ded before the morning. To increase our apprehen- 
sions, about midnight we were informed, that the 



52 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Otawas were holding a council, at wliich no white man 
was permitted to be present, Farley alone excepted ; and 
him we suspected, and afterward positively knew, to be 
our greatest enemy. We, on our part, remained all 
night upon the alert; but, at day-break, to our surprize 
and joy, we saw the Otawas preparing to depart. By 
sunrise, not a man of them was left in the fort; and, 
indeed, the scene was altogether changed. The inhabi- 
tants, who, while the Otawas were present, had avoided 
all connection with the English traders, now came with 
congratulations. They related, that the Otawas had 
proposed to them, that if joined by the Canadians, they 
would march, and attack the troops which were known 
to be advancing on the fort; and they added, that it was 
their refusal which had determined the Otawas to de- 
part. 

At noon, three hundred troops, of the sixtieth regi- 
ment, under the command of Lieutenant Lesslie,* 
marched into the fort; and this arrival dissipated all 
our fears, from whatever source derived. After a few 
days, detachments were sent into the Bay des Puans/ 



* The name is properly Leslie, but spelt indifferently, Lesslie 
and Lesley. The 60th, or Royal American Regiment, was raised 
in 1757, for frontier service, principally from among the Ger- 
man and English immigrants in New York and Pennsylvania. 

^ Green Bay, Lake Michigan. "The Baye des Puants of the 
early writers, or more correctly, La Baye des Eaux Puantes. 
The Winnebago Indians living near it were called Les Puans, 
apparently for no other reason than because some portion of the 
bay was said to have an odour like the sea." — Parkman, 
La Salle, p. 42. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 53 

by which is the route to the Missisipi, and at the mouth 
of the Saint-Joseph, which leads to the Illinois. The 
Indians, from all quarters, came to pay their respects 
to the commandant; and the merchants dispatched their 
canoes, though it was now the middle of September, and 
therefore somewhat late in the season. 



CHAPTER V. 

Of the particular tnode of victualling the canoes, at 
Michilimackinac — and its importance to the trade 
in furs. Winter aTnusements at Michilimackinac 
— hunting — fishing — trout-fishing. Exorbitant 
price of grain and beef. Furs the circulating 
rnedium — their nominal value. White-Jish — and 
mode of taking it. Anecdote of a Chipeway 
Chief. Depth of Snow — return of Spring. 

THE village of L'Arbre Croclie supplies, as I liave 
said, the maize, or Indian corn, with wliicli the canoes 
are victualled. This species of grain is prepared for 
use, by boiling it in a strong lie, after which the husk 
may be easily removed ; and it is next mashed and dried. 
In this state, it is soft and friable, like rice. The 
allowance, for each man, on the voyage, is a quart a 
day; and a bushel, with two pounds of prepared fat, is 
reckoned to be a month's subsistence. No other allow- 
ance is made, of any kind; not even of salt; and bread is 
never thought of. The men, nevertheless, are healthy, 
and capable of performing their heavy labour. This 
mode of victualling is essential to the trade, which 
being pursued at great distances, and in vessels so small 
as canoes, will not admit of the use of other food. If 
the men were to be supplied with bread and pork, the 
canoes could not carry a sufficiency for six months; and 
the ordinary duration of the voyage is not less than 



1761.] TRAVELS, &c. 55 

fourteen. The difficulty, whicli would belong to an 
attempt to reconcile any other men, than Canadians, 
to this fare, seems to secure to them, and their em- 
ployers, the monopoly of the fur-trade. 

The sociable disposition of the commandant enabled 
us to pass the winter, at Michilimackinac, in a manner 
as agreeable as circumstances would permit. The 
amusements consisted chiefly in shooting, hunting and 
fishing. The neighbouring woods abounded in part- 
ridges * and hares, the latter of which is white in win- 
ter; and the lake is filled with fish, of which the most 
celebrated are trout, white-fish and sturgeon.^ 

Trout are taken by making holes in the ice, in which 
are set lines and baits. These axe often left for many 
days together, and in some places at the depth of fifty 
fathoms; for, the trout having swallowed the bait, re- 
mains fast, and alive, till taken up. This fish, which is 
found of the weight of from ten to sixty pounds, and 
upward, constitutes the principal food of the inhabi- 
tants. When this fails, they have recourse to maize, but 
this is very expensive. I bought more than a hundred 
bushels, at forty livres per bushel. Money is rarely 
received or paid at Michilimackinac, the circulating 
medium consisting in furs and peltries. In this ex- 
change, a poimd of beaver-skin is reckoned .^at sixty 

■* In North-America there is no partridge ; but the name ia 
given to more than one species of grouse. The birds here 
intended, are red grouse. 

1 Salvdinus namaycush, Coregonus clupeiformis and Acipenser 
rubicundus. 



66 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

sols; an otter-skin, at six livres; and marten-skins, at 
thirty sols, each.^ This is only one half of the real value 
of the fnrs; and it is therefore always agreed, to pay 
either in fnrs at their actual price at the fort, or in cash, 
to double tlie amount, as reckoned in furs. 

At the same time that I paid the price, which I have 
mentioned, for maize, I paid at the rate of a dollar per 
pound for the tallow, or prepared fat, to mix with it. 
The meat itself was at the same price. The Jesuit 
missionary killed an ox, which he sold by the quarter, 
taking the weight of the meat in beaver-skin. Beaver- 
skin, as just intimated, was worth a dollar per pound. 

These high prices of grain and beef led me to be very 
industrious in fishing. I usually set twenty lines, and 
visited them daily, and often found, at every visit, 
fish enough to feed a hundred men. White-fish, which 
exceed the trout, as a delicious and nutritive food, are 
here in astonishing numbers. In shape, they some- 
what resemble the shad; but their flavour is perhaps 
above all comparison whatever. Those, who live on 
them for months together, preserve their relish to the 
end. This cannot be said of the trout. 

The white-fish is taken in nets, which are set under 
the ice. To do this, several holes are made in the ice, 
each at such distance from that behind it, as that it 

- After the conquest the value of the livre was fixed at the 
equivalent of a shilling, Canadian currency, while the English 
shilling was rated at one and four-pence. Twenty-four sols 
were equal to one shilling and a penny sterling, or about one 
cent each. 



1761.] ADVENTURES. 57 

may, be readied, under the ice, by the end of a pole. A 
line, of sixty fathoms in length, is thus conveyed from 
hole to hole, till it is extended to the length desired. 
This done, the pole is taken out, and with it one end of 
the line, to which the end is then fastened. The line 
being now drawn back, by an assistant, who holds the 
opposite extremity, the net is brought under, and a 
large stone is made fast to the sinking-line, at each end, 
and let down to the bottom; and the net is spread in 
the water, by lighters on its upper edge, sinkers on its 
lower, in the usual manner. The fish, running against 
the net, entangle their gills in the meshes, and are thus 
detained till taken up. White-fish is used as a bait for 
trout. They are much smaller than the trout, but 
usually weigh, at Michilimackinac, from three to seven 
pounds. 

During the whole winter, very few Indians visited 
the fort; but, two families, one of which was that of a 
chief, had their lodges on a river, five leagues below us, 
and occasionally brought beaver-flesh for sale. 

The chief was warmlv attached to the English. He 
had been taken prisoner by Sir William Johnson, at the 
siege of I'ort JSTiagara; and had received, from that in- 
telligent ofiicer, his liberty, the medal usually present- 
ed to a chief, and the British flag. Won, by these un- 
expected acts of kindness, he had returned to Michili- 
mackinac, full of praises of the English, and hoisting 
his flag over his lodge. This latter demonstration of his 
partiality had nearly cost him his life; his lodge was 
broken down, and his flag torn to pieces. The pieces he 
carefully gathered up, and preserved with pious care; 



58 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

and, whenever he came to the fort, he drew them 
forth, and exhibited them. On these occasions, it grew 
into a custom, to give him as much liquor as he said was 
necessary to make him cry, over the misfortune of 
losing his flag. The commandant would have given 
him another; but he thought that he could not accept 
it without danger. 

The greatest depth of snow, throughout the season, 
was three feet. On the second day of April, the ice on 
the lake broke up, and the navigation was resumed; 
and we immediately began to receive, from the Indians 
around us, large supplies of wild-fowl. 



CHAPTEE YI. 

Voyage froTYi Michilimackinac to the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie. Description of the Fort. White-Jish — 
singular method of taking them. Village of Chi- 
peways. O'pimittish Ininiwac, Wood-Indians, 
or Gens de Terres — their condition — mode of 
life — food and clothing. Summer. The Fort 
receives a Garrison from, Michilimackinac. 

BEIISTG desirous of visiting the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie, I left Micliiliniackinac on tlie IStli of May, in a 
canoe. Tlie Sault de Sainte-Marie is distant from 
Michilimackinac thirty leagues/ and lies in the strait 
which separates Lake Huron from Lake Superior. 

Having passed Le Detour, a point of land at the en- 
trance of the strait, our course lay among numerous 
islands, some of which are twenty miles in length. We 
ascended the rapid of Miscoutinsaki,'- a spot well adapt- 
ed for mill-seats, and above which is the mouth of the 
river of the same name. The lands, on the south shore 
of this river, are excellent. The lake is bordered by 
meadows, and, at a short distance back, are groves of 
sugar-maple. From this river, to the Sault de Sainte- 
MariCj is one continued meadow. 

On the 19th, I reached the Sault. Here was a 

^ The distance is stated to be about ninety-four miles. 
^ Now known as the Lower or Niblish rapids. 



60 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

stockuded fort^ in which, under the Frencli govern- 
ment, there was kept a small garrison, commanded by 
an officer, who was called the governor, but was in fact 
a clerk, who managed the Indian trade here, on govern- 
ment accoimt. The houses were four in number; of 
which the first was the governor's, the second the inter- 

^ Sault Ste. Marie, formerly known as Bow-e-ting, had for 
many years been occupied by a division of the Ojibwa or Chipe- 
ways. It was first visited by French fur traders who named the 
Indians, Saulteaux, from the "Falls" in the St. Mary's river. 
A Mission was established, in 1669, under Marquette, who 
writes (Relation, 1668-9); "that the harvest is abundant and 
that it only rests with the missionaries to baptize the entire 
population to the number of two thousand." St. Lusson held a 
council with the northern Indians here in 1671. The war with 
the Iroquois led to the abandonment of the Mission in 1689. In 
1750 the Marquis de la Jonquiere, Governor of Canada, granted 
to his nephew, Captain De Bonne, and Chevalier de Repentigny, 
six leagues square for the erection of a fort. Writing to Rouill^, 
Minister of Marine, Jonquiere says : "By my letter of the 24th of 
August, last year, I had the honour to let you know, that in order 
to thwart the iiiovements, which the English do not cease to 
make, to seduce the Indian natives of the North, I had sent 
the Sieur Chevalier de Repentigny to the Sault Ste. Marie 
to make there an establishment, at his own expense ; to 
build there a palisade fort, to stop the English ; to interrupt 
the commerce they carry on. . . . Moreover I had in view 
in that establishment to secure a retreat for the French travel- 
lers, especially to those who trade in the Northern posts . . . 
The said Sieur de Repentigny has fulfilled in all points the first 
objects of my orders." Minnesota Historical Collections, vol. 
5, p. 434. The palisade was 110 feet each way and enclosed 
one house thirty by twenty feet, two houses twenty-five by 
twenty feet, and redoubt of oak twelve feet square. J. B. 
Cadotte was placed in charge, and was there when Carver visited 
it in October, 1767. 



1762.] ADVENTURES. 61 

preter's, and the other two, which were the smallest, 
had been used for barracks. The only family was that 
of M. Cadotte, the interpreter, whose wife was a Chipe- 
way. 

The fort is seated on a beautiful plain, of about two 
miles in circumference, and covered with luxuriant 
grass; and, within sight, are the rapids in the strait, 
distant half a mile. The width of the strait, or river, is 
about half a mile. The portage, or carrying-place, 
commences at the fort. The banks are rocky, and allow 
only a narrow foot-path over them. Canoes, half load- 
ed, ascend, on the south side, and the other half of the 
load is carried on men's shoulders. 

These rapids are beset with rocks of the most dan- 
gerous description; and yet they are the scene of a 
fishery, in which all their dangers are braved, and 
mastered with singular expertness. They are full of 
white-fish, much larger and more excellent than those 
of Michilimackinac, and which are found here during 
the greater part of the season, weighing, in general, 
from six pounds to fifteen. 

The method of taking them is this: each canoe 
carries two men, one of whom steers with a paddle, 
and the other is provided with a pole, ten feet in length, 
and at the end of which is afiixed a scoop-net. The 
steersman sets the canoe from the eddy of one rock to 
that of another; while the fisherman, in the prow, who 
sees, through the pellucid element, the prey of which 
he is in pursuit, dips his net, and sometimes brings up, 
at every succeeding dip, as many as it can contain. The 
fish are often crowded together in the water, in great 



62 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

numbers; and a skilful fisherman, in autumn, will take 
five hundred in two hours. 

This fishery is of great moment to the surrounding 
Indians, whom it supplies mth a large proportion of 
their winter's provision; for, having taken the fish, in 
the manner described, they cure them, by drying in the 
smoke, and lay them up in large quantities. 

There is at present a village of Chipeways, of fifty 
warriors, seated at this place ; but the inhabitants reside 
here during the summer only, going westward, in the 
winter, to hunt. The village was anciently much more 
populous. 

At the south are also seen a few of the wandering 
0^ pimittish Ininiwac, literally, Men of the WoodS; and 
otherwise called Wood-Indians, and Gens de Tei-res* — a 
peaceable and inoffensive ra?e, but less conversant with 
some of the arts of first necessity than any of their 
neighbours. They have no villages; and their lodges 
are so rudely fashioned, as to afford them but very in- 
adequate protection against inclement skies. The 
greater part of their year is spent in travelling from 

* Gens dn Terres, afterward called by Henry (part II, chapter 
IV.) Tetes de Bonle. An Algonquin tribe who have to the 
present day, preserved their purely nomadic habits. In Father 
Dablon's map of 1671 they are marked as occupying the wide 
country lying to the north of Lake Superior and as far east as 
Tamiscamque, between the Swampy Crees or Muskegoes and 
and Mississaquas. During the present century they appear to 
have removed to the neighbourhood of the St. Maurice River, in 
the Province of Quebec, where three bands, numbering 250 souls, 
are reported by the Canadian Indian Department, in addition 



1762.] ADVENTURES. 63 

place to place, in search, of food. The animal, on which, 
they chiefly depend, is the hare. This they take in 
springes. Of the skin, they make coverings, with 
much ingenuity, cutting it into narrow strips, and 
weaving these into a cloth, of the shape of a blanket, 
and of a quality very warm and agreeable. 

The pleasant situation of the fort, and still more 
the desire of learning the Chipeway language, led ]ue 
to resolve on wintering in it. In the family of M. 
Cadotte, no other language than the Chipeway v/as 
spoken. 

During the summer, the weather was sometimes ex- 
ceedingly hot. Mosquitoes and black-flies were so 
numerous as to be a heavy counterpoise to the pleasure 
of hunting. Pigeons were in great plenty; the stream 
supplied our drink; and sickness was unknown. 

In the course of the season, a small detachment of 
troops, under the command of Lieutenant Jemette, 
arrived to garrison the fort. 



to a considerable number occupying lands in common with other 
Algonquin tribes. In an account of a visit paid to them by J. 
Adams, published in the Transactions of the Quebec Historical 
Society, vol. 2, 1831, he says that he failed to find any indi- 
vidual whose personal appearance justified the distinctive title 
which has been applied to them. Their domestic habits are 
still characteristic. They remain the only tribe in Eastern 
Canada which persistently refuse to adopt agriculture, either 
partially or entirely, and continue " Men of the Woods." 



CHAPTER VII. 

An abundant supply of Fish is obtained at the Fort — 
but i'niprovidently managed. The Governor's 
House, and others, burnt, together luith all the pro- 
visions of the Garrison. The Soldiers, to avoid 
famine, are re-embarked for Michilimackinac. 
Method of taking Trout with spears. The Author 
accompanies the Commandant and Interpreter, on 
a Journey, by land, to Michilimackinac. The 
party is twice in danger of starving — it reaches 
Michilimackinac. Author returns to tJte Sault. 
Account of the Snow-Shoe Evil. Bay of Boutchi- 
taouy. Maple-sugar nnaking. Author returns 
to Michilimackinac. 

IN tlie beginning of October, tbe fisb, as is usual, 
was in great abundance at the Sault; and, by the 
fifteenth day of the month, I had myself taken up- 
ward of five hundred. These, I caused to be dried, in 
the customary manner, by suspending them, in pairs, 
head downward, on long poles, laid horizontally, for 
that purpose, and supported by two stakes, driven into 
the ground at either end. The fish are frozen the first 
night after they are taken ; and, by the aid of the severe 
cold of the winter, they are thus preserved, in a state 
perfectly fit for use, even till the month of April. 

Others were not less successful than myself; and 



1762.] TRAVELS, &c. 65 

several canoe-loads of fish were exported to Michili- 
mackinac, our commanding officer being unable to 
believe that his troops would have need to Jive on 
fish during the winter ; when, as he flattered himself, a 
regular supply of venison and other food would reach 
the garrison, through the means of the Indians, whose 
services he proposed to purchase, out of the large funds 
of liquor which were subject to his orders. 

But, all these calculations were defeated, by the 
arrival of a very serious misfortune. At one o'clock, 
in the morning of the twenty-second day of December, 
I was awakened by an alarm of fire, which was actually 
raging in the houses of the commandant and others. 
On arriving at the commandant's, I found that this 
officer was still within side ; and, being acquainted with 
the window of the room in which he slept, I procured it 
to be broken in, in time for his escape. I was also so 
fortunate as to save a small quantity of gunpowder, 
only a few moments before the fire reached all the 
remainder. A part of the stockade, all the houses, M. 
Cadotte's alone excepted, all the provisions of the 
troops, and a considerable part of our fish, were burnt. 

On consultation, the next day, it was agreed, that the 
only means which remained, at this late period of the 
season, to preserve the garrison from famine, was that 
of sending it back to Michilimackinac. This was itself 
an undertaking of some peril; for, had the ice prevent- 
ed their reaching the place of destination, starving 
would have become as inevitable elsewhere, as it threat- 
ened to be at the Sault de Sainte-Marie. The soldiers 
embarked, and happily reached Michilimackinac on the 
5 



66 TRAVELS AND [AD. 

thirty-first day of the month. On the very next morn- 
ing, the navigation was wholly closed. 

The commandant, and all the rest, now lived in one 
small house, subsisting only by hunting and fishing. 
The woods afforded us some hares and partridges, and 
we took large trout with the spear. In order to 
spear trout under the ice, holes being first cut, 
of two yards in circumference, cabins of about two feet 
in height, are built over them, of small branches of 
trees; and these are further covered with skins, so as 
wholly to exclude the light. The design and result of 
this contrivance is, to render it practicable to discern 
objects in the water, at a very considerable depth; for 
the reflection of light from the water gives that element 
an opaque appearance, and hides all objects from the 
eye, at a small distance beneath its surface. A spear- 
head o"'^ iron is fastened on a pole, of about ten feet in 
length. This instrument is lowered into the water; and 
the fisherman, lying upon his belly, with his head under 
the cabin or cover, and therefore over the hole, lets 
down the figure of a fish, in wood, and filled with lead. 
Round the middle of the fish, is tied a small pack- 
thread ; and, when at the depth of ten fathom, where it 
is intended to be employed, it is made, by drawing the 
string, and by the simultaneous pressure of the water, 
to move forward, after the manner of a real fish. Trout 
and other large fish, deceived by its resemblance, spring 
toward it, to seize it; but, by a dexterous jerk of the 
string, it is instantly taken out of their reach. The 
decoy is now drawn nearer to the surface; and the fish 
takes some time to renew the attack, during which the 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 67 

spear is raised, and held conveniently for striking. On 
tlie return of the fish, the spear is plunged into its back; 
and, the spear being barbed, it is easily drawn out of 
the water. So completely do the rays of the light per- 
vade the element, that in three fathom water, I have 
often seen the shadows of the fish, on the bottom, 
following them as they moved; and this, when the ice 
itself was two feet in thickness. 

By these pursuits, and others of a similar kind, we 
supported ourselves for two months, that is, until the 
twentieth of February, when we imagined the lake to 
be frozen, and Michilimackinac therefore accessible; 
and, the commandant wishing to go to that fort, M. 
Cadotte, myself, two Canadians and two Indians, 
agreed to accompany him. The Canadians and Indians 
were loaded with some parched maize, some fish, a few 
pieces of scorched pork, which had been saved from 
the fire, and a few loaves of bread, made of flour, 
which was also partly burnt. 

We walked on snow-shoes, a mode of travelling 
sufiiciently fatiguing to myself, but of which the com- 
mandant had had no previous experience whatever. 
In consequence, our progress was slow, wearisome and 
disastrous. On the seventh day of our march, we had 
only reached Point du Detour, which lies half way 
between the Sault and Michilimackinac; and here, to 
our mortification and dismay, we found the lake still 
open, and the ice drifting. Our provisions, too, on 
examination, were found to be nearly expended; and 
nothing remained for us to do, but to send back the 



68 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Canadians and Indians, whose motions would be swift, 
for an additional supply. 

In their absence, the commandant, M. Cadotte and 
myself, three persons in number, were left with about 
two pounds of pork and three of bread, for our sub- 
sistence during the three days, and perhaps four, 
which they would require, for a journey of nin(jty 
miles. Being appointed to act tlie part of commissary, 
I divided the provisions into four parts, one for each 
day: and, to our great happiness, at ten o'clock, on the 
fourth day, our faithful servants returned. Early, in 
the morning of the fifth, we left our encampment, and 
proceeded. The weather, this day, was exceedingly 
cold. 

We had only advanced two leagues, when the com- 
mandant found it almost wholly impossible to go 
further, his feet being blistered by the cords of the 
snow-shoes. On this account, we made short marches, 
for three days; and this loss of time threatened us anew 
with famine. We were now too far from the Sault, to 
send back for a supply; and it was therefore deter- 
mined that myself, accompanied by one of the 
Canadians, should go as speedily as possible to Michili- 
mackinac, and there inform the commanding officer of 
the situation of those behind. Accordingly, the next 
morning, at break of day, I left my fellow-sufferers, 
and at three o'clock in tlie afternoon had the pleasure 
of entering the fort, whence a party was sent the next 
morning, with provisions. This party returned on the 
third day, bringing with it Lieutenant Jemette and the 
rest, in safety. Major Etherington, of the sixtieth 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 69 

regiment, ^yllo had arrived in the preceding autumn, 
now conunanded at the fort. 

I remained at Michilimackinac until the 10th of 
March, on which day I sat out on my return to the 
Sault, taking the route of the Bay of Boutchitaouy, 
which the ice had now rendered practicable. From 
the bottom of the bay, the course lies in a direct line 
through the woods, a journey I performed in two days, 
though I w^as now troubled with a disorder, called the 
snow-shoe evil} proceeding from an unusual strain on 
the tendons of the leg, occasioned by the weight of 
the snow-shoe, and brings on inflammation. The 
remedy, prescribed in the country, is that of laying a 
piece of lighted touchwood on the part, and leaving it 
there till the flesh is burnt to the nerve ; but this experi- 
ment, though I had frequently seen it attended with 
success in others, I did not think proper to make upon 
myself. 

The lands, between the Bay of Boutchitaouy and the 
Sault, are generally swampy, excepting so much of 
them as compose a ridge, or mountain, running east 
and west, and which is rocky, and covered with the 
rock or sugar maple, or sugar-wood.* The season, for 
making maple-sugar, was now at hand; and, shortly 
after my arrival at the Sault, I removed, with the other 
inhabitants, to the place at which we were to perform 
the manufacture. 

* Acer saccharin um. 

^ The mal de raquette of the French Canadians. 



70 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

A certain part of the maple-woods having been 
chosen, and whicli was distant about three miles from 
the fort, a house, twenty feet long, and fourteen broad, 
was begun in the morning, and before night made fit 
for the comfortable reception of eight persons, and 
their baggage. It was open at top, had a door at eacli 
end, and a fire-place in the middle, running the w^hole 
length. 

The next day was employed in gathering the bark 
of white birch-trees, with which to make "vessels to 
catch the wine or sap. The trees were now cut or 
tapped, and spouts or ducts introduced into the wound. 
The bark vessels were placed under the ducts; and, as 
they filled, the liquor was taken out in buckets, and 
conveyed into reservoirs or vats of moose-skin, each vat 
containing a hundred gallons. Erom these, we sup- 
plied the boilers, of which we had twelve, of from 
twelve to twenty gallons each, with fires constantly 
under them, day and night. While the woman collect- 
ed the sap, boiled it, and completed the sugar, the men 
w^ere not less busy in cutting wood, making fires, and in 
hunting and fishing, in part of our supply of food. 

The earlier part of the spring is that best adapted to 
making maple-sugar. The sap runs only in the day; 
and it will not run, unless there has been a frost the 
night before. When, in the morning, there is a clear 
sun, and the night has left ice of the thickness of a 
dollar, the greatest quantity is produced. 

On the twenty-fifth of April, our labour ended, and 
we returned to the fort, can-ying with us, as we found 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 71 

by the scales, sixteen hundred weight of sugar. We 
had, besides, thirty-six gallons of syrup; and, during 
our stay in the woods, we certainly consumed three 
hundred weight. Though, as I have said, we hunted 
and fished, yet sugar was our principal food, during 
the whole month of April. I have known Indians to 
live wholly upon the saiue, and become fat. 

On the day of our return to the fort, there arrived 
an English gentleman, Sir Robert Dovers/ on a voyage 
of curiosity. I accompanied this gentleman, on his 
return to Michilimackinac, which we reached on the 
twentieth of May. My intention Avas to remain theref 
till after my clerks should have come in from the 
interior, and then to go back to the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie. 

In the beginning of May, the geese and ducks made 
their appearance, in their progress northward. 



2 Sir Robert Davers, an English officer, was the eldest son of 
Sir Jermyn Davers, Bart., of Rushbrooke, and representative 
of an old Suflblk family -which had contributed many members 
to the public service. On his return journey from Lake 
Superior he, with Captain Robertson, was murdered above 
Lake St. Clair, by the Indians who were on their way to join 
Pontiac, in the attack on Detroit. The news was brought to 
the commanding officer at that place on the evening of the 
ninth of May, so that Henry's date is incorrect. It was prob- 
ably an error, for the second, made in copying. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Rumours of hostile designs, on the part of the In- 
dians, against Michilimachinac. The Command- 
ant wholly discredits them, and they are generally 
disregarded. Indians assemble, in unusual num- 
bers, but exhibit only the most friendly behaviour. 
The Author is urged, by an Indian to retire from 
Michilimackinac. Singular Incident. Few appre- 
hensions are entertained within the Fort. 

"WHEN I reached Michilimackinac, I found several 
other traders, who had arrived before me, from 
different parts of the country, and who, in general, de- 
clared the dispositions of the Indians to be hostile to 
the English, and even apprehended some attack. M. 
Laurent Ducharme'^ distinctly informed Major Ether- 
ington, that a plan was absolutely conceived, for de- 
stroying him, his garrison and all the English in the 
upper country; but, the commandant, believing this 
and other reports to be without foundation, proceeding 
only from idle or ill-disposed persons, and of a tendency 
to do mischief, expressed much displeasure against M. 
Ducharme, and threatened to send the next person, 

^ Laurent Ducharme, was a nephew of Jean Marie Ducharme 
(1723-1803) who had afterwards a trading house on the Milwau- 
kee river. Various references to the family will be found in 
the Journals of Alexander Henry (the younger) and David 
Thompson. Edited by Elliott Cones. 3 vols., 1897, p. 234. 



1763.] TRAVELS, &c. 73 

who should bring a story of the same kind, a prisoner, 
to Detroit, 

The garrison, at this time, consisted of ninety 
privates, two subalterns and the commandant; and the 
English merchants, at the fort, were four in number. 
Thus strong, few entertained anxiety concerning the 
Indians, who had no weapons but small arms. 

Meanwhile, the Indians, from every quarter, were 
daily assembling, in unusual numbers, but with every 
appearance of friendship, frequenting the fort, and dis- 
posing of their peltries, in such a manner as to dissipate 
almost every one's fears. For myself, on one occasion, 
I took the liberty of observing to Major Etherington 
that in my judgment, no confidence ought to be placed 
in them, and that I was informed no less than four 
hundred lay around the fort. 

In return, the major only rallied me, on my 
timidity; and it is to be confessed, that if this officer 
neglected admonition, on his part, so did I, on mine. 
Shortly after my first arrival at Michilimackinac, in 
the Dreceding year, a Chipeway, named Wa'wa'tam', 
began to come often to my house, betraying, in his 
demeanour, strong marks of personal regard. After 
this had continued for some time, he came, on a certain 
day, bringing with him his whole faiuily, and, at the 
same time, a large present, consisting of skins, sugar 
and dried meat. Having laid these in a heap, he com- 
menced a speech, in which he informed me, that some 
years before, he had observed a fast, devoting himself, 
according to the custom of his nation, to solitude, and 



74 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

to the mortification of his body, in the hope to obtain, 
from the Great Spirit, protection throug;li all his days; 
that on this occasion, he had dreamed of adopting an 
Englishman, as his son, brother and friend; that from 
the moment in which he first beheld me, he had recog- 
nised me as the person whom the Great Spirit had been 
pleased to point ont to him for a brother; that he hoped 
that I wonld not refuse his present; and that he should 
fo: ever ree^ard me as one of his family. 

I could do no otherwise than accept the present, and 
declare my willingness to have so good a man, as this 
apneared to be, for my friend and brother. I offered a 
present in return for that which I had received, which 
Wawatam accepted, and then, thanking me for the 
favour which he said that I had rendered him, he left 
me, and soon after set out on his winter's hunt. 

Twelve months had now elapsed, since the 
occurrence of this incident, and I had almost forgotten 
the person of my hrother, when, on the second day of 
June, Wawatam came again to my house, in a temper 
of mind visibly melancholy and thoughtful. He told 
me, that he had just returned from his wintering- 
ground, and I asked after his health ; but, without 
answering my question, he went on to say, that he was 
very soiry to find me returned from the Sault; that he 
had intended to eo to that place himself, immediately 
after his arrival at Michilimackinac ; and that he wished 
me to go there, along with him and his family, the next 
morning. To all this, he joined an inquiry, whether or 
not the commandant had heard bad news, adding, that, 
during the winter, he had himself been frequently dis- 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 75 

turbed witli the noise of evil Urds; and furtlier siiggest- 
ing, that there were numerous Indians near the fort, 
many of whom had never shown themselves within 
it. — Wawatam was abont forty-five years of age, of an 
excellent character among his nation, and a chief. 

Eef erring mnch of what I heard to the peculiarities 
of the Indian character, I did not pay all the attention, 
which they will be found to have deserved, to the en- 
treaties and remarks of my visitor. I answered that I 
could not think of going to the Sault, so soon as the 
next morning, but would follow him there, after the 
arrival of my clerks. Finding himself unable to pre- 
vail with me, he withdrew, for that day; but, early the 
next morning, he came again, bringing with him his 
wife, and a present of dried meat. At this interview 
after stating that he had several packs of beaver, for 
which he intended to deal with me, he expressed, a 
second time, his apprehensions, from the numerous In- 
dians who were round the fort, and earnestly pressed 
me to consent to an immediate departure for the Sault. 
— As a reason for this particular request, he assured 
me that all the Indians proposed to come in a body, 
that day, to the fort, to demand liquor of the com- 
mandant, and that he wished me to be gone, before 
they should grow intoxicated. 

I had made, at the period to which I am now re- 
ferring, so much progress in the language in which 
Wawatam addressed me, as to be able to hold an 
ordinary conversation in it; but, the Indian manner of 
speech is so extravagantly figurative, that it is only for 
a very perfect master to follow and comprehend it 



76 TRAVELS, &c. [AD. 

entirely. Had I been further advanced in this respect, 
I think that I shoukl have gathered so much infor- 
mation, from this mv friendly monitor, as would have 
put me into possession of the design of the enemy, and 
enabled me to save as well others as myself; as it was, 
it unfortunately happened, that I turned a deaf ear to 
every thing, leaving Wawatam and his wife, after long 
and patient, but ineffectual efforts, to depart alone, 
with dejected countenances, and not before thev had 
each let fall some tears. 

In the course of the same day, I observed that the 
Indians came in great numbers into the fort, pur- 
chasing tomahawks (small axes, of one pound weight,) 
and frequently desiring to see silver armbands, and 
other valuable ornaments, of which I had a large 
quantity for sale. These ornaments, however, they in no 
instance purchased; but after turning them over, left 
them, saying, that they would call again the next day. 
Their motive, as it afterward appeared, was no other 
than the very artful one of discovering, by requesting 
to see them, the particular places of their deposit, so 
that they might lay their hands on them in the moment 
of pillage with the greater certainty and dispatch. 

At night, I turned in mv mind the visits of Wawa- 
tam; but, though they were calculated to excite un- 
easiness, nothing induced me to believe that serious 
mischief was at hand. The next day, being the fourth 
of June, was the kino:'s birth-dav. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The King's Birth-day being arrived, the Chipeways 
and Saakies play a match at Baggat'iway. 
Account of this game. Fort Michilimackinac 
surprised amd taken. General Tnassacre of the 
English. Author solicits protection from M. 
Langlade — and is re/used. Is concealed by a fe- 
male slave. Indians drink the blood of the slain. 
Author in iiwminent peril. 

THE morning was sultry. A Cliipeway came to tell 
me that liis nation was going to play at hag''gafiway, 
with the Sacs or Saakies, another Indian nation, for a 
high wagtr. He invited me to witness the sport, add- 
ing that the commandant was to be there, and would 
bet on the side of the Chipeways. In consequence of 
this information, I went to the commandant, and ex- 
postulated with him a little, representing that the In- 
dians might possibly have some sinister end in view; 
but, the commandant only smiled at my suspicions. 

Baggatiway, called by the Canadians, le jeu cle la 
crosse, is played with a bat and ball.^ The bat is 

^ The game of La Crosse has always been a favourite with the 
Indian tribes of the North American continent. A full refer- 
ence to its early history will be found in the Bulletins of the 
Essex Institute, vol. XVII., p. 89. ^^ Indian Games; an 
Historical Research," by Andrew McFarland ; to its modern 
development in ^'■Lacrosse, the National Game of Canada," 
W. G. Beers, 1875. 



78 



TRAVELS AND [A.D. 



about four feet in length, curved, and terminating in a 
sort of racket. Two posts are planted in the ground, 
at a considerable distance from each other, as a mile, or 
more. Each party has its post, and the game consists in 
throwing the ball up to the post of the adversary. The 
ball, at the beginning, is placed in the middle of the 
course, and each party endeavours as well to throw the 
ball out of the direction of its own post, as into that of 
the adversary's. 

I did not go myself to see the match which was now 
to be played without the fort, because, there being a 
canoe prepared to depart, on the following day, for 
Montreal, I employed myself in writing letters to my 
friends; and even when a fellow-trader, Mr. Tracy, 
happened to call upon me, saying that another canoe 
had just arrived from Detroit, and proposing that I 
should go ^^dth him to the beach, to inquire the news, 
it so happened that I still remained, to finish my letters; 
promising to follow Mr. Tracey, in the course of a few 
minutes. Mr. Tracy had not gone more than twenty 
paces from my door, when I heard an Indian war-cry, 
and a noise of general confusion. 

Going instantly to my window, I saw a crowd of 
Indians, within the fort, furiously cutting down and 
scalping every Englishman they found. In particular, 
I witnessed the fate of Lieutenant Jemette. 

I had, in the room in which I was, a fowling-piece, 
loaded with swan-shot. This I immediately seized, and 
held it for a few minutes, waiting to hear the driun 
beat to arms. In this dreadful interval, I saw several 
of mv countrymen fall, and more than one struggling 



17!J:;.] ADVENTURES. 79 

between the knees of an Indian, who, holding him in 
this manner, scalped him, while yet living. 

At length, disappointed in the hope of seeing resist- 
ance made to the enemy, and sensible, of course, chat 
no effort, of my own unassisted arm, could avail 
against four hundred Indians, I thought only of seek- 
ing shelter. Amid the slaughter which was raging, I 
observed many of the Canadian inhabitants of the fort, 
calmly looking on, neither opposing the Indians, nor 
suffering injury; and, from this circumstance, I con- 
ceived a hope of finding security in their houses. 

Between the yard-door of my own house, and that of 
M. Langlade, my next neighbour, there was only a low 
fence, over which I easily climbed. At my entrance, I 
found the whole family at the windows, gazing at the 
scene of blood before them. I addressed myself imme- 
diately to M. Langlade, begging that he would pu.t me 
into some place of safety, until the heat of the affair 
should be over; an act of charity by which he might 
perhaps preserve me from the general massacre; but, 
while I uttered my petition, M. Langlade, who had 
looked for a moment at me, turned again to the win- 
dow, shrup-ffinff his shoulders, and intimating, that he 
could do nothing for m3: — ^' Que voudriez-vous que 
" j'en feraisV 

This was a moment for despair ; but, the next, a Pani^ 
woman,* a slave of M. Langlade's, beckoned to me to 
* The Panies are an Indian nation of the south. 



^ Pani is another form of Pawnee which was the name of a 
tribe of Indians of Caddoan stock, occupying the present State 



80 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

follow lier. She brought me to a door, which she open- 
ed, desirine; me to enter, and telling me that it led to 
the garret, where I must go and conceal myself. I 
ioyfullv obeyed her directions; and she, having follow- 
ed me up to the garret-door, locked it after me, and 
with great presence of mind took away the key. 

This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hope to find 
it, I was naturally anxious to know what might still be 
passing without. Through an aperture, which afforded 
me a view of the area of the fort, I beheld, in shapes 
the foulest and most terrible, the ferocious triumphs of 
barbarian conquerors. The dead were scalped and 
mangled; the dying were writhing and shrieking, un- 
der the unsatiated knife and tomahawk; and, from the 
bodies of some ripped open, their butchers were drink- 
ing the blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined hands, 
and quaffed amid shouts of rage and victory. I was 
shaken, not only with horror, but with fear. The 
sufferings which I witnessed, I seemed on the point of 
exDeriencing. No long time elapsed, before every one 

of Neoraska, along the Platte river, and its tributaries. They 
were constantly at war with the surrounding tribes and appear 
to have been true Ishmaelites. When captured they were 
retained and frequently sold to Indians at a distance, so that 
the common name for an Indian slave was Pani, though 
Choctaws, Osages, and others from the west and south were 
included in the title. The capitulation at Montreal, September 
8th, 1760, provides that the negroes and Panis of both sexes 
should remain in their condition of slavery. Mr. J. C. Hamil- 
ton has compiled an interesting account of this people which is 
published in the Proceedings of the Canadian Institute, series 3, 
vol. I., p. 19. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 81 

being destroyed, who could be found, there was a 
general cry, of " All is finished!" At the same instant, 
I heard some of the Indians enter the house in which 
I was. 

The garret was separated from the room below, only 
by a layer of single boards, at once the flooring of the 
one and the ceiling of the other. I could therefore hear 
every thing that passed ; and, the Indians no sooner in, 
than they inquired, whether or not any Englishman 
were in the house ? M. Langlade replied, that " He 
" could not say — he did not know of any;" — answers in 
which he did not exceed the truth ; for the Pani woman 
had not only hidden me by stealth, but kept my secret, 
and her own, M. Langlade was therefore, as I presume, 
as far from a wish to destroy me, as he was careless 
about saving me, when he added to these answers, that 
" They might examine for themselves, and would soon 
" be satisfied, as to the object of their question." Say- 
ing this, he brought them to the garret-door. 

The state of my mind will be imagined. Arrived at 
the door, some delay was occasioned by the absence of 
the key, and a few moments were thus allowed me, in 
which to look around for a hiding-T)lace. In one comer 
of the garret was a heap of those vessels of birch-bark, 
used in maple-sugar making, as I have recently de- 
scribed. 

The door was unlocked, and opening, and the In- 
dians ascending the stairs before I had completely crept 
into a small opening, which presented itself, at one end 
of the heap. An instant after, four Indians entered the 
6 



82 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

room, all armed with tomahawks, and all besmeared 
with blood, upon every part of their bodies. 

The die appeared to be cast. I could scarcely 
breathe; but I thought that the throbbing of my heart 
occasioned a noise loud enough to betray me. The 
Indians walked in every direction about the garret, and 
one of them approached me so closely that at a par- 
ticular moment, had he put his hand, he must have 
touched me. Still, I remained undiscovered ; a circum- 
stance to which the dark colour of my clothes, and the 
the comer in which I was must have contributed. In 
a word, after taking several turns in the room, during 
want of light, in a room which had no window, and in 
which they told M. Langlade how many they had kill- 
ed, and how many scalps they had taken, they returned 
down stairs, and I, with sensations not to be expressed, 
heard the door, which was the barrier between me and 
my fate, locked for the second time. 

There was a feather-bed on the floor ; and, on this, ex- 
hausted as I was, by the agitation of my mind, I threw 
myself down and fell asleep. In this state I remained 
till the dusk of the evening, when I was awakened by 
a second opening of the door. The person, that now 
entered, was M. Langlade's wife, who was mueh sur- 
prised at finding me, but advised rae not to be uneasy, 
observing, that the Indians had killed most of the Eng- 
lish, but that she hoped I might myself escape. — A 
shower of rain having begun to fall, she had come to 
stop a hole in the roof. On her soing away, I begged 
her to send me a little water, to drink; which she did. 

As night was now advancing, I continued to lie on 



1763.] ADVENTURES, 83 

the bed, ruminating on my condition, but unable to 
discover a resource, from which I could hope for life. 
A flight, to Detroit, had no probable chance of success. 
The distance, from Michilimackinac, was four hundred 
miles; I was without provisions: and the whole length 
of the road lay through Indian countries, countries of 
an enemy in arms, where the first man whom I should 
meet would kill me. To stay where I was, threatened 
nearly the same issue. As before, fatigue of mind, 
and not tranquility, suspended my cares, and procured 
me further sleep. 



CHAPTER X. 

Means by which the capture of the Fort was ac- 
complished. Author is betrayed — surrenders 
himself to Wenniway, a Ghipeway Chief — and is 
spared — escapes from an Indian, who treache- 
rously attempts his destruction. Sordid inhu- 
manity of M. Langlade. Author is embarked, 
with other captives, for the Isles du Castor, in 
Lake Michigan. 

THE game of baggatiway, as from the description 
above will have been perceived, is necessarily attended 
with much violence and noise. In the ardour of con- 
test, the ball, as has been suggested, if it cannot be 
thrown to the goal desired, is struck in any direc- 
by the adversary. At such a moment, therefore, 
nothing could be less liable to excite premature 
alarm, than that the ball should be tossed over the 
pickets of the fort, nor that having fallen there, it 
should be followed on the instant, by all engaged 
in the game, as well the one party as the other, all 
eager, all struggling, all shouting, all in the un- 
restrained pursuit of a rude athletic exercise. 
Nothing could be less fitted to excite premature 
alarm — nothing, therefore, could be more happily 
devised, under the circumstances, than a stratagem 
like this; and this was, in fact, the stratagem which 
the Indians had employed, by which they had 



1763.] TRAVELS, &c. 86 

obtained possession of the fort, and by which thej 
had been enabled to slaughter and subdue its garri- 
son, and such of its other inhabitants as they 
pleased. To be still more certain of success, they 
had prevailed upon as many as they could, by a 
pretext the least liable to suspicion, to come 
voluntarily without the pickets; and particularly 
the commandant and garrison themselves. 

The respiie which sleep afforded me, during the 
night, was put an end to by the return of morning. 
I was again on the rack of apprehension. At sun- 
rise, I heard the family stirring; and, presently 
after, Indian voices, informing M. Langlade that 
they had not found my hapless self among the dead, 
and that they supposed me to be somewhere con- 
cealed. M. Langlade appeared, from what followed, 
to be, by this time, acquainted with the place of 
my retreat, of which, no doubt, he had been in- 
formed by his wife. The poor woman, as soon as 
the Indians mentioned me declared to her husband, 
in the French tongue, that he should no longer 
keep me in his house, but deliver me up to my 
pursuers; giving as a reason for this measure, that 
should the Indians discover his instrumentality in 
my concealment, they might revenge it on her 
children, and that it was better that I should die, 
than they. M. Langlade resisted, at first, this sen- 
tence of his wife's; but soon suffered lier to prevail, 
informing the Indians that he had been told I was 
in his house, that I had come there without his 
knowledge, and that he would put me into their 
hands. This was no sooner expressed than he began 



86 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

to ascend the stairs, the Indians following; upon his 
heels. 

I now resigned myself to the fate with which I 
was menaced; and regarding every attempt at con- 
cealment as vain, I arose from the bed, and present- 
ed myself full in view, to the Indians who were en- 
tering the room. They were all in a state of intoxi- 
cation, and entirely naked, except about the middle. 
One of them, named Wenniway, whom I had pre- 
viously known, and w^ho was upward of six feet in 
height, had his entire face and body covered with 
charcoal and grease, only that a white spot, of two 
inches in diameter, encircled either eye. This man 
walking up to me, seized me, with one hand, by the 
collar of the coat, while in the other he held a large 
carving-knife, ^ if to plunge it into my breast; his 
eyes, meanwhile, were fixed stedfastly on mine. At 
length, after some seconds, of the most anxious 
suspense, he dropped his arm, saying, "I won't kill 
you!" — To this he added, that he had been fre- 
quently engaged in wars against the English, and 
had brought away many scalps; that, on a certain 
occasion, he had lost a brother, whose name was 
Musinigon, and that I should be called after him. 

A reprieve, upon any terms, placed me among 
the living, and gave me back the sustaining voice 
of hope; but Wenniway ordered me down stairs, 
and there informing me that I was to be taken to 
his cabin, where, and indeed every where else, the 
Indians were all mad with liquor, death again was 
threatened, and not as possible only, but as certain. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 87 

I mentioned my fears on this subject to M. Lang- 
lade, begging him to represent the danger to my 
master, M. Langdale, in this instance, did not with- 
hold his compassion, and Wenniway immediately 
consented that I should remain where I was, until 
he found another opportunity to take me away. 

Thus far secure, I re-ascended my garret-stairs, 
in order to place myself, the furthest possible, out 
of the reach of insult from drunken Indians; but, I 
had not remained there more than an hour, when I 
was called to the room below, in which was an In- 
dian, who said that I must go with him out of the 
fort, Wenniway having sent him to fetch me. This 
man, as well as Wenniway himself, I had seen be- 
fore. In the preceding year, I had allowed him to 
take goods on credit, for which he was still in my 
debt; and some short time previous to the surprise 
of the fort he had said, upon my upbraiding him 
with want of honesty, that " He would pay me 
"before long!" — This speech now came fresh into 
my memory, and led me to suspect that the fellow 
had formed a design against my life. I communi- 
cated the suspicion to M. Langlade; but he gave for 
answer, that " I was not now my own master, and must 
" do as I was ordered." 

The Indian, on his part, directed, that before I 
left the house, I should undress myself, declaring 
that my coat and shirt would become him better 
than they did me. His pleasure, in this respect, be- 
ing complied with, no other alternative was left me 



88 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

than either to go out naked, or to put on the clothes 
of the Indian, which he freely gave me in exchange. 
His motive, for thus stripping me of my own 
apparel, was no other, as I afterward learned, than 
this, that it might not be stained with blood when 
he should kill me. 



I was now told to proceed; and my driver follow- 
ed me close, until I had passed the gate of the fort, 
when I turned toward the spot where I knew the 
Indians to be encamped. This, however, did not 
suit the purpose of my enemy, who seized me by 
the arm, and drew me violently, in the opposite 
direction, to the distance of fifty yards, above the 
fort. Here, finding that I was approaching the 
bushes and sand-hills, I determined to proceed no 
further, but told the Indian that I believed he meant 
to murder me, and that if so, he might as well 
strike where I was, as at any greater distance. He 
replied, with coolness, that my suspicions were just, 
and that he meant to pay me, in this manner, for my 
goods. At the same time, he produced a knife, and 
held me in a position to receive the intended blow. 
Both this, and that which followed, were neces- 
sarily the affair of a moment. By some effort, too 
sudden and too little dependent on thought, to be 
explained or remembered, I was enabled to arrest 
his arm, and give him a sudden push, by which I 
turned him from me, and released myself from his 
grasp. This was no sooner done, than I ran toward 
the fort, with all the swiftness in my power, the 
Indian following me, and I expecting every moment 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 89 

to feel his knife. — I succeeded in my flight; and, on 
entering the fort, I saw Wenniway, standing in the 
midst of the area, and to him I hastened for pro- 
tection. Wenniway desired the Indian to desist; 
but the latter pursued me round him, making several 
strokes at me with his knife, and foaming at the 
mouth, with rage at the repeated failure of his pur- 
pose. At length, Wenniway drew near to M. Lang- 
lade's house; and, the door being open, I ran into it- 
The Indian followed me; but, on my entering the 
house, he voluntarily abandoned the pursuit. 

Preserved so often, and so unexpectedly, as it 
had now been my lot to be, I returned to my garret 
with a strong- inclination to believe, that through 
the will of an overruling power, no Indian enemy 
could do me hurt; but, new trials, as I believed, 
were at hand, when, at ten o'clock in the evening, 
I was roused from sleep, and once more desired to 
descend the stairs. I^ot less, however, to my satis- 
faction than surprise, I was summoned only to meet 
Major Etherington, Mr. Bostwick and Lieutenant 
Lesslie, who were in the room below. 

These gentlemen had been taken prisoners, while 
looking at the game, without the fort, and imme- 
diately stripped of all their clothes. They were now 
sent into the fort, under the charge of Canadians, 
because, the Indians having resolved on getting 
drunk, the chiefs were apprehensive that they would 
be murdered, if they continued in the camp. — 
Lieutenant Jemette and seventy soldiers had been 
killed; and but twenty Englishmen, including 



90 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

soldiers, were still alive. These were all within the 
fort, tog;ether with nearly three hundred Canadians* 

These being our numbers, myself and others pro- 
posed to Major Etherington, to make an effort for 
regaining possession of the fort, and maintaining it 
against the Indians. The Jesuit missionary was con- 
sulted on the project; but he discouraged us, by his 
representations, not only of the merciless treatment 
which we must expect from the Indians, should they 
regain their superiority, but of the little dependence 
which was to be placed upon our Canarlian 
auxiliaries. Thus, the fort and prisoners remained 
in the hands of the Indians, though, through the 
whole night, the prisoners and whites were in actual 
possession, and they were without the gates. 

That whole night, or the greater part of it, was 
passed in mutual condolence; and my fellow- 
prisoners shared my garret. In the morning, being 
again called down, I found my master, Wenniway, 
and was desired to follow him. He led me to a 
small house, within the fort, where, in a narrow 
room, and almost dark, I found Mr. Ezekiel Solo- 
mons/ an Englishman from Detroit, and a soldier, all 

* Belonging to the canoes, etc. 

^ Ezekiel Solomon, a trader from Montreal. In chapter XII. 
we learn that he was taken by the Ottawas to Montreal and 
then ransomed. He made the following aflSdavit before the 
town mayor of Montreal, on the 14th of August, 1763: "I, 
Ezekiel Solomon, resident in the Fort of Michilimackinac at 
the time it was surprised by the savages, declare that on the 
2nd day of June, a Frenchman, Mons. Cote, entered my house 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 91 

prisoners. With these, I remained in painful 
suspense, as to the scene that was next to present 
itself, till ten o'clock, in the forenoon, when an In- 
dian arrived, and presently marched us to the lake- 
side, where a canoe appeared ready for departure, 
and in which we found that we were to embark. 

Our voyage, full of doubt as it was, would have 
commenced immediately, but that one of the Indians, 
who was to be of the party, was absent. His arrival 
was to be waited for; and this occasioned a very long 
delay, during which we were exposed to a keen 
north-east wind. An old shirt was all that covered 
me; I suffered much from the cold; and, in this ex- 
tremity, M. Langlade coming down to the beach, I 
asked him for a blanket, promising, if I lived, to 
pay him for it, at any price he pleased: but, the an- 
swer I received was this, that he could let me have 
no blanket, unless there were some one to be security 
for the payment. For myself, he observed, I had no 
longer any property in that country. — I had no 
more to say to M, Langlade; but, presently seeing 

several times and carried from thence several parcels of goods, 
my property. And also an Indian named Sanpear, carried the 
peltry from my house to the house of Aimable Deniviere in 
■whose garret I was then concealed. I owed Monsr. Arick a 
sum of money, but at the time he demanded it the payment was 
not due, and I refused to pay him till the time T had contracted 
for ; but he told me, if I did not pay it, he would take it by 
force ; I told him the commanding officer would prevent that 
and he replied that the commanding officer was nothing and 
that he himself was commanding officer." — Qladwin Manu- 
scripts, p. 667, 1897. 



92 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

another Canadian, named John Cuchoise, I addressed 
to him a similar request, and was not refused.'^ 
I^Taked as I was, and rigorous as was the weather, 
but for the blanket, I must have perished. — A.t 



- Charles Langlade was the son of Sieur August Langlade, 
who was born in France about 1695 and was brought to Canada 
at an early age. He was engaged in the Indian trade near 
Michilimackinac in 1720, and married the daughter of an Ottawa 
Chief. His eldest son, Charles, born in 1724, also married an 
Ottawa woman. He commenced his career as a warrior, by 
fighting with the Indians at Fort Du Quesne, when Braddock's 
army was destroyed, and afterwards with Montcalm at the cap- 
ture of Fort William Henry, The Marquis de Vaudreuil 
appointed him second in command at Michilimackinac, in Sep- 
tember, 1757, from whence he returned to help Montcalm at 
Ticonderoga and Quebec. While in Montreal, in 1759, he 
married again, Charlotte, daughter of Laurent Bourasse. After 
the fall of Quebec he was dispatched by Vaudreuil in 1760, with 
a commission as lieutenant to take command of the troops and 
Indians at Michilimackinac. On the conclusion of the peace 
he removed to Green Bay where he engaged in trading. 
Captain Etherington asked him to come to him at Michilimacki- 
nac which he did, accompanied by his wife and bringing with him 
a quantity of furs to trade. It was on a subsequent visit that 
the massacre occurred. He seems after this to have taken the 
British side, for he was appointed Indian Agent at Green Bay. 
During the Revolution he raised a body of Indians for the 
British and was given a medal by Governor Haldimand for his 
assistance. After the peace he was continued in office by the 
Americans, though receiving an annuity from the British 
Government. He died in January, 1800, aged seventy-five 
years, and his wife survived him until 1818. His descendants 
are still living in Canada and the Western States. We are told 
"he was of medium height, about five feet nine inches, a 
square built man, rather heavy but never corpulent. — Grigon's 
EecolledAons. Wisconsin Hist. Coll., vol. 3, p. 197. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 93 

noon, our party was all collected, the prisoners all 
embarked, and we steered for the Isles du Castor/ in 
Lake Michigan. 



^ Beaver islands, in the northern part of Lake Michigan. 
The largest is about fifty miles long. In a direct course it is 
about forty-five miles from Mackinac. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Author and fellow-prisoners rescued, by the Ottawas 
of L'Arhre Croche — relanded at MichilimacJcinac 
— restored to the Chipeways — lodged with other 
prisoners. Author sees and, is recognised by 
WawataTYi. 

THE soldier, who was our companion in mis- 
fortune, was made fast to a bar of the canoe, by a 
rope tied round his neck, as is the manner of the 
Indians, in transporting; their prisoners. The rest 
were left unconfined; but a paddle was put into each 
of our hands, and we were made to use it. The In- 
dians in the canoe were seven in number; the 
prisoners four. I had left, as it will be recollected, 
Major Etherington, Lieutenant Lesslie and Mr. 
Bostwick, at M. Langlade's, and was now joined in 
misery with Mr. Ezekiel Solomons, the soldier, and 
the Englishman who had newly arrived from 
Detroit. This was on the sixth day of June. The 
fort was taken on the fourth; I surrendered myself to 
Wenniway on the fifth; and this was the third day 
of our distress. 

We were bound, as I have said, for the Isles du 
Castor, which lie in the mouth of Lake Michigan; 
and we should have crossed the lake, but that a thick 
fog came on, on account of which the Indians deem- 
ed it safer to keep the shore close under their lee. 



1763.] TRAVELS, &c. 95 

We therefore approached the lands of the Otawas, 
and their village of L'Arbre Croche, already men- 
tioned as lying about twenty miles to the westward 
of Michilimackinac, on the opposite side of the 
tongue of land on which the fort is built. 

Every half hour, the Indians gave their war 
whoops, one for every prisoner in their canoe. This 
is a general custom, by the aid of which all other 
Indians, within hearing, are apprized of the number 
of prisoners they are carrying. 

In this manner, we reached Wagoshense,^' a long 
point/ stretching westward into the lake, and which 
the Otawas make a carrying-place, to avoid going 
round it. It is distant eighteen miles from Michili- 
mackinac. After the Indians had made their war- 
whoop, as before, an Otawa appeared upon the beach, 
who made signs that we should land. In consequence, 
we approached. The Otawa asked the news, and 
kept the Chipeways in further conversation, till we 
were within a few yards of the land, and in shallow 
water. At this moment, a hundred men rushed upon 
us, from among the bushes, and dragged all the 
prisoners out of the canoes, amid a terrifying shout. 

We now believed that our last sufferings were 
approaching; but, no sooner were we fairly on shore, 
and on our legs, than the chiefs of the party ad- 
vanced, and gave each of us their hands, telling us 

* i. e. Fox-point. 
From Wagosh, a fox. 



96 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

that they were our friends, and Otawas, whom the 
Chipeways had insulted, by destroying the English 
without consulting with them on the affair. They 
added, that what they had done was for the purpose 
of saving our lives, the Chipeways having been carry- 
ing us to the Isles du Castor only to kill and devour 
us. 

The reader's imagination is here distracted by the 
variety of our fortunes, and he may well paint to 
himself the state of mind of those who sustained 
them ; who were the sport, or the victims, of a series 
of events, more like dreams than realities, more like 
fiction than truth! It was not long before we were 
embarked again, in the canoes of the Otawas, who, 
the same evening, relanded us at Michilimackinac, 
where they marched us into the fort, in view of the 
Chipeways, confounded at beholding the Otawas 
espouse a side opposite to their own. 

The Otawas, who had accompanied us in sufficient 
numbers, took possession of the fort. We, who had 
changed masters, but were still prisoners, were lodged 
in the house of the commandant, and strictly guarded. 

Early the next morning, a general council was 
held, in which the Chipeways complained much of 
the conduct of the Otawas, in robbing them of their 
prisoners ; alleging tliat all the Indians, the Ota- 
was alone excepted, were at war with the English; 
that Pontiac had taken Detroit ; that the king of 
France had awoke, and repossessed himself of 
Quebec and Montreal ; and that the English were 
meeting destruction, not only at Michilimackinac, 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 97 

but in every other part of the world. From all this 
they inferred, that it became the Otawas to restore 
the prisoners, and to join in the war; and the speech 
was followed by large presents, being part of the 
plunder of the fort, and which was previously heaped 
in the centre of the room. — The Indians rarely make 
their answers till the day after they have heard the 
arguments offered. They did not depart from their 
custom on this occasion; and the council therefore 
adiourned. 

We, the prisoners, whose fate was thus in contro- 
versy, were unacquainted, at the time, with this 
transaction; and therefore enjoyed a night of toler- 
able tranquility, not in the least suspecting the re- 
verse which was preparing for us. Which of the 
arguments of the Ohipeways, or whether or not all 
were deemed valid by the Otawas, I cannot say; 
but, the council was resumed at an early hour in the 
morning, and, after several speeches had been made 
in it, the prisoners were sent for, and returned to the 
Chipeways. 

The Otawas, who now gave us into the hands of 
the Chipeways, had themselves declared, that the 
latter designed no other than to kill us, and make 
broth of us. The Chipeways, as soon as we were 
restored to them, marched us to a village of their 
own, sitiiate on the point which is below the fort,, 
and put us into a lodge, already the prison of fourteen 
soldiers, tied tv/o and two, with each a rope about his 
neck, and made fast to a pole which might be called 
the supporter of the building. 
7 



98 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

I was left untied; but I passed a night sleepless 
and full of wretchedness. My bed was the bare 
ground, and I was again reduced to an old shirt, as 
my entire apparel; the blanket which I had received, 
through the generosity of M. Cuchoise, having been 
taken from me among the Otawas, when they seized 
upon myself and the others, at Wagoshense. I was 
besides, in want of food, having for two days ate 
nothing, 

I confess that in the canoe, with the Chipeways, I 
was offered bread — but, bread, with what accompani- 
ment! — They had a loaf, which they cut with the 
same knives that they had employed in the massacre 
— kni^'es still covered with blood. The blood, they 
moistened with spittle, and rubbing it on the bread, 
offered this for food to their prisoners, telling them 
to eat the blood of their countrymen. 

Such was my situation, on the morning of the 
seventh of June, in the year one thousand seven 
hundred and sixty-three; but, a few hours produced 
an event which gave still a new colour to my lot. 

Toward noon, when the great war-chief, in com- 
pany with Wenniway, was seated at the opposite end 
of the lodge, my friend and brother, Wawatam, sud- 
denly came in. During the four days preceding, I 
had often wondered what had become of him. In 
passing by, he gave me his hand, but went immediate- 
ly toward the greiat chief, by the side of whom and 
Wenniway, he sat himself down. The most uninter- 
rupted silence prevailed; each smoked his pipe, and 
this done, Wawatam arose, and left the lodge, saying, 
to me, as he passed, "Take courage!" 



CHAPTER XII. 

Indian Council. Speech of WawataTu. Speech of 
Menehivehna. Wawatam obtains the Authors 
freedom, and carries him to his own lodge. Seven 
prisoners killed. A war-feast on human flesh. 
Messages of invitation. English canoe arrives 
from Montreal — plundered, and passengers made 
prisoners. Fate of the Garrison and English 
Traders, who fell into the hands of the Indians, 
at Michilimackinac. 

AN hour elapsed, during wliicli several chiefs en- 
tered, and preparations appeared to be making for a 
council. At length, Wawatam re-entered the lodge, 
followed by his Avife, and both loaded with merchan- 
dize, which they carried up to the chiefs, and laid in 
a heap before them. Some moments of silence follow- 
ed, at the end of which Wawatam pronounced a 
speech, every word of which, to me, was of extra- 
ordinary interest: 

" Friends and relations." he began, " what is it that 
" I shall say? You know what I feel. You all have 
"friends and brothers and children, whom as your- 
" selves you love; and you — what would you experi- 
" ence, did you, like me, behold your dearest friend 
" — vour brother — in the condition of a slave ; a 
^' slave, exposed every moment to insult, and to 
"menaces of death? This case, as you all know, is 
L.ofC, 



100 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

" mine. See there (pointing to myself) my friend 
" and brother among slaves — himself a slave ! 

" You all well know, that long before the war 
" began, I adopted him as my brother. From that 
" moment, he became one of my family, so that no 
" change of circumstances could break the cord which 
" fastened us together. 

" He is my brother; and, because I am your rela- 
" tion, he is therefore your relation too: — rand how, 
^' being your relation, can he be your slave? 

" On the day, on which the war began, you were 
" fearful, lest, on this very account, I should reveal 
" your secret. You requested, therefore, that I would 
" leave the fort, and even cross the lake. I did so; but 
" I did it with reluctance, notwithstanding that you, 
" Menehwehna, who had the command in this enter- 
" prise, gave me your promise that you would protect 
" my friend, delivering him from all danger and giving 
" him safely to me. 

" The performance of this promise, I now claim. 
" I come not with empty hands to ask it. You, Meneh- 
" wehna, best know, whether or not, as it respects 
" yourself, you have kept your word, but I bring 
" these goods, to buy off every claim which any man 
" among you all may have on my brother, as his 
" prisoner." 

Wawatam having ceased, the pipes were again 
filled; and, after they were finished, a further period 
of silence followed. At the end of this, Menehwehna 
arose, and gave his reply: 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 101 

" My relation and brother, " said he, '" what you 
"have spoken is the truth. We were acquainted 
" with the friendship which subsisted between your- 
" self and the Englishman, in whose behalf you have 
" now addressed us. We knew the danger of having our 
'' secret discovered, and the consequences which must 
"follow; and you say truly, that we requested you to 
" leave the fort. This we did, out of regard for you 
" and your family ; for, if a discovery of our design 
" had been made, you would have been blamed, 
" whether guilty or not; and you would thus have 
" been involved in difficulties from which you could 
" not have extricated yourself. 

" It is also true, that I promised you to take care 
" of your friend ; and this promise I performed, by 
" desiring my son, at the moment of assault, to seek 
" him out, and bring him to my lodge. He went 
" accordingly, but could not find him. The day after, 
" I sent him to Langlade's, when he was informed that 
" your friend was safe ; and had it not been that the 
" Indians were then drinking the rum which had been 
" found in the fort, he would have brought him home 
" with him, according to my orders. 

" I am very glad to find that your friend has 
" escaped. We accept your present ; and you may take 
" him home with you." 

Wawatam thanked the assembled chiefs, and 
taking me by the hand, led me to his lodge, which 
was at the distance of a few yards only from the prison- 
lodge. My entrance appeared to give joy to the whole 
family; food was immediately prepared for me; and 



102 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

I now ate the first heartv meal which I had made since 
mv capture. I found myself one of the family; and 
but that I had still my fears, as to the other Indians, 
I felt as happy as the situation could allow. 

In the course of the next morning, I was alarmed 
by a noise in the prison-lodge; and looking through 
the openings of the lodge in which I was, I saw seven 
dead bodies of white men dragged forth. Upon my 
inquiry into the occasion, I was informed, that a cer- 
tain chief, called, by the Canadians, Le Grand Sable, 
had not long before arrived from his winter's hunt; 
and that he, having been absent when the war begun, 
and being now desirous of manifesting to the Indians 
at large, his hearty concurrence in what they had done, 
had gone into the prison-lodge, and there, with his 
knife, put the seven men, whose bodies I had seen, to 
death. 

Shortly after, two of the Indians took one of the dead 
bodies, which they chose as being the fattest, cut off 
the head, and divided the whole into five parts, one 
of which was put into each of five kettles, hung over 
as many fires kindled for this purpose, at the door of 
the prison-lodge. Soon after things were so far pre- 
pared, a message came to our lodge, with an invitation 
to Wawatam, to assist at the feast. 

An invitation to a feast is given by him who is the 
master of it. Small cuttings of cedar-wood, of about 
four inches in length, supply the place of cards; and 
the baarer, by word of mouth, states the particulars. 

Wawatam obeyed the summons, taking with him, 



1763.] ADVENTURES, 103 

as is usual, to tlie place of entertainment, his dish and 
spoon. 

After an absence of about half an hour, he return- 
ed, bringing in his dish a human hand, and a large 
piece of flesh. He did not appear to relish the repast, 
but told me, that it was then, and always had been 
the custom, among all the Indian nations, when re- 
turning from war, or on overcoming their enemies, 
to make a war-feast, from among the slain. This, he 
said, inspired the warrior with courage in attack, and 
bred him to meet death with fearlessness. 

In the evening of the same day, a large canoe, such 
as those which came from Montreal, was seen ad- 
vancing to the fort. It was full of men, and I distin- 
guished several passengers. The Indian cry was 
made in the village; a general muster ordered; and, 
to the number of two hundred, they marched up to 
the fort, where the canoe was expected to land. The 
canoe, suspecting nothing, came boldly to the fort, 
where the passengers, as being English traders, were 
seized, dragged through the water, beat, reviled, 
marched to the prison-lodge, and there stripped of 
their clothes, and confined. 

Of the English traders that fell into the hands of 
the Indians, at the capture of the fort, Mr. Tracy was 
the only one who lost his life. Mr. Ezekiel Solomons 
and Mr. Henry Bostwick were taken by the Otawas, 
and, after the peace, carried down to Montreal, and 
there ransomed. Of ninety troops, about seventy were 
killed; the rest, together with those of the posts in the 
Bay des Puants, and at the river Saint-Joseph, were 



104 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

iilso kept in safety by the Otawas, till the peace, and 
then either freely restored, or ransomed at Montreal. 
The Otawas never overcame their disgust, at the 
neglect with which they had been treated, in the 
beginning of the war, by those who afterward desired 
their assistance as allies. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Indians entertain apprehensions of the English — re- 
solve to retire to the Island of Michilimackinac. 
A gale of wind — and Indians sacrifice a Dog. 
Women lament at the burial-place of Relations. 
Land on the Island. Number of Warriors. 
Author hid by Wawatam in a cave — makes a 
discovery there. Indian explanations. Indian 
sacrifices. 

IN the morning of the ninth of June, a general 
council was held, at which it was agreed to remove to 
the island of Michilimackinac, as a more defensible 
situation, in the event of an attack bj the English. 
The Indians had begun to entertain apprehensions of 
want of strength. No news had reached them from 
the Potawatamies, in the Bay des Puants; and they 
were uncertain whether or not the Monomins * would 
join them.^ They even feared that the Sioux would 
take the English side. 

* Manomines, or Malomines. In the first syllable, the 
substitution of I for n, and n for I, marks one of the differences 
in the Chipeway and Algonquin dialects. 

In the mouth of an Algonquin, it is Michilimackinac; 
in that of a Chipeway, Michinimackinac. 

^ Meiiomini Indians who occupied the western side of Green 
Bay, Wisconsin, and have since been removed to a reservation 



106 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

This resolution iixecl, they prepared for a speedy 
retreat. At noon, the camp was broken up, and we 
embarked, taking- with us the prisoners that w^ere still 
undisposed of. On our passage, we encountered a 
gale of wind, and there were some appearances of 
danger. To avert it, a dog, of which the legs were 
previously tied together, was thrown into the lake; 
an offering designed to soothe the angry passions of 
some offended Ma'ni'to'. 

As we approached the island, two women, in the 
canoe in which I was, began to utter melancholy and 
hideous cries. Precarious as my condition still re- 
mained, I experienced some sensations of alarm, from 
these dismal sounds, of which I could not then dis- 
cover the occasion. Subsequently, I learned, that it 
is customary for the women, on passing near the 
burial-places of relations, never to omit the practice 

in the north-western part of the State. They were first visited 
by Nicollot in 1634. The name is derived from Omanomineu 
(maitome, rice and inani, man). Shea says the " name is the 
Algonquin term for the grain Zizania aqnatica, wild rice. The 
French called both the grain and tribe Fol Avoin, wild oats. 
They have always been closely associated with the Winneb^gos, 
their language is Algonquin and more nearly related to the 
Ojihwa than any other. Lieut. Gorell, who was in command of 
the fort at Green Bay, at this time, induced them to accompany 
him to L'Arbre Croche, where the prisoners were released. 
See GorelVs Journal, Hist. Soc. of Wisconsin Coll., vol. 1, 
p. 25. For the history and language of this nation, see Hist. 
Soc, Wisconsin, Coll., Vol. 3.; Gallatin's Synopsis of the 
Indian Tribes of North America — Archaologia Americana, 
Vol. 2; and Hoffman's Menomini Indians — Fourteenth Ann'tial 
Report of the BureoAi of Ethnology, 1892-3. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 107 

of wliicli I was now a witness, and by whicli tliey 
intend to denote their grief. 

By the approach of evening, we reached the island 
in safety, and the women were not long in erecting 
our cabins. In the morning, there was a muster of 
the Indians, at which there were found three hundred 
and fifty fighting-men. 

In the course of the day, there arrived a canoe 
from Detroit, with ambassadors, who endeavoured to 
prevail on the Indians to repair thither, to the assist- 
ance of Pontiac; but fear was now the prevailing 
passion. A guard was kept during the day, and a 
watch by night, and alarms were very frequently 
spread. Had an enemy appeared, all the prisoners 
would have been put to death; and I suspected, that 
as an Englishman, I should share their fate. 

Several days had now passed, when, one morning, 
a continued alarm prevailed, and I saw the Indians 
running, in a confused manner, toward the beach. 
In a short time, I learned that two large canoes, from 
Montreal, were in sight. 

All the Indian canoes were immediately manned, 
and those from Montreal were surrounded and seized, 
as they turned a point, behind which the flotiUa had 
been concealed. The goods were consigned to a Mr. 
Levy, and would have been saved, if the canoe-men 
had called them Trench property; but they were 
terrified, and disguised nothing. 

In the canoes was a large proportion of liquor, a 



108 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

dangerous acquisition, and which threatened disturb- 
ance among the Indians, even to the loss of their 
dearest friends. Wawatam, always watchful of my 
safety, no sooner heard the noise of drunkenness, 
which, in the evening, did not fail to begin, than he 
represented to me the danger of remaining in the 
village, and owned that he could not himself resist 
the temptation of joining his comrades in the debauch. 
That I might escape all mischief, he therefore request- 
ed that I would accompany him to the mountain, where 
I was to remain hidden, till the liquor should be 
drank. 

We ascended the mountain accordingly. It is 
this mountain which constitutes that liigli land, in 
the middle of the island, of which I have spoken be- 
fore, as of a figure considered as resembling a turtle, 
and therefore called michilimacMnac. It is thickly 
covered with wood, and very rocky toward the top. 
After walking more than half a mile, we came to a 
large rock, at the base of which was an opening, 
dark within, and appearing to be the entrance of a 
cave. 

Here, Wawatam recommended that I should 
take up my lodging, and by all means remain till he 
returned. 

On going into the cave, of which the entrance 
was nearly ten feet wide, I found the further end to 
be rounded in its shape, like that of an oven, but 
with a further aperture, too small, however, to be 
explored. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. lOD 

After thus looking around me, I broke small 
brandies from tlie trees, and spread them for a bed; 
then wrapped myself in my blanket, and slept till 
day-break. 

On awaking, I felt myself incommoded by some 
object, upon which I lay; and, removing it, found 
it to be a bone. This I supposed to be that of a 
deer, or some other animal, and what might very 
naturally be looked for, in the place in which I was; 
but, when day-light visited my chamber, I dis- 
covered, with some feelings of horror, that I was 
lying on nothing less than a heap of human bones 
and skulls, which covered all the floor! 

The day passed without the return of Waw.itam, 
and without food. As night approached, I found 
myself unable to meet its darkness in the charnel- 
house, which, nevertheless, I had viewed free from 
uneasiness during the day. I chose, therefore, an 
adjacent bush for this night's lodging, and slept 
under it as before; but, in the morning, I awoke 
hungry and dispirited, and almost envying the dry 
bones, to the view of which I returned. At length, 
the sound of a foot reached me, and my Indian 
friend appeared, making many apologies for his 
long absence, the cause of which was an unfortunate 
excess in the enjo.yment of his liquor. 

This point being explained, I mentioned the 
extraordinary sisfht that had presented itself, in 
the cave to which he had commended my slumbers. 
He had never heard of its existence before; and, upon 
examining the cave together, we saw reason to 



110 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

believe that it had been anciently filled with human 
bodies. 

On returning to the lodge, I experienced a cor- 
dial reception from the family, which consisted of 
the wife of my friend, his two sons, of whom the 
eldest was married, and whose wife, and a daughter, 
of thirteen years of age, completed the list. 

Wawatam related to the other Indians the ad- 
venture of the bones. All of them expressed sur- 
prise at hearing it, and declared that they had never 
been aware of the contents of this cave before. 
After visiting it, which they immediately did, 
almost every one offered a different opinion, as to its 
history. 

Some advanced, that at a period when the wa- 
ters overflowed the land (an event which makes a 
distinguished figure in the history of their world), 
the inhabitants of this island had fled into the cave, 
and been there drowned; others, that those same in- 
habitants, when the Hurons made war upon them, 
(as tradition says they did), hid themselves in the 
cave, and being discovered, were there massacred. 
For myself, 1 am disposed to believe, that this cave 
was an ancient receptacle of the bones ol prisoners, 
sacrificed and devoured at war-feasts. I have always 
observed, that the Indians pay particular attention 
to the bones of sacrifices, preserving them unbroken, 
and depositing them in some place kept exclusively 
for that purpose. 



CHAPTER XIY. 

Care of Menehwehna for the Author's preserva- 
tion. Author assumes the Indian Costume — in 
what that Costume consists. Provisions scarce. 
Indian resignation. Family remove to the Bay 
of Boutchitaouy. Indian Medicines. Pretended 
Sorceries. Cures of Flesh wounds. 

A FEW days after tlie occurrence of tlie inci- 
dents recorded in the preceding chapter, Meneh- 
wehna, whom I now found to be the great chief of 
the village of Michilimackinac, came to the lodge of 
my friend; and when the usual ceremony of smoking 
was finished, he observed that Indians were now 
daily arriving from Detroit, some of whom had lost 
relations or friends in the war, and who would cer- 
tainly retaliate on any Englishman they found; 
upon which account, his errand was to advise that I 
should be dressed like an Indian, an expedient 
whence I might hope to escape all future insult. 

I could not but consent to the proposal, and the 
chief was so kind as to assist my friend and his 
family in effecting that very day the desired metamor- 
phosis. My hair was cut off, and my head shaved, 
with the exception of a spot on the crown, of about 
twice the diameter of a crown-piece. My face was 
painted with three or four different colours; some 



112 TRAVELS AND 



[A.D. 



parts of it red, and others black. A shirt was pro- 
vided for me, painted with vermilion, mixed with 
grease. A large collar of wampum was put roirnd 
mv neck, and another suspended on my breast. 
Both my arms were decorated with large bands of 
silver above the elbow, besides several smaller ones 
on the wrists; and my legs were covered with 
mitasses,^ a kind of hose, made, as is the favorite 
fashion, of scarlet cloth. Over all, I was to wear a 
scarlet blanket or mantle, and on my head a large 
bunch of feathers. I parted, not without some re- 
gret, with the long hair which was natural to it, and 
which I fancied to be ornamental; but the ladies of 
the family, and of the village in general, appeared 
to think my person improved, and now condescended 
to call mc handsome, even among Indians. 

Protected, in a great measure, by this disguise, 
I felt myself more at liberty than before; and the 
season beinsr arrived in which my clerks, from the in- 
terior, were to be expected, and some part of ^my pro- 
perty, as I had a right to hope, recovered, I begged 
the favour of Wawatam, that he would enable me to 
pay a short visit to Michilimackinac. Pie did not 
fail to comply, and I succeeded in finding my clerks; 
but, either through the disturbed state of the 
country, as they represented to be the case, or 
through their misconduct, as I had reason to think, 
I obtained nothing; — and nothing, or almost noth- 
ing, I now began to think, would be all that I should 

' Mitasses, French-Canadian from the Chippewa midass, my 
leggings, Baraga ; meddns, Wilson. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 113 

need, during the rest of my life. To fish and to 
hunt, to collect a few skins, and exchange them for 
necessaries, was all that I seemed destined to do, and 
to acquire, for the future. 

I returned to the Indian village, where at this 
time much scarcity of food prevailed. We were 
often for twenty-four hours without eating; and 
when in the morning we had no victuals for the day 
before us, the custom was to black our faces with 
grease and charcoal, and exhibit, through resigna- 
tion, a temper as cheerful as if in the midst of plenty. 

A repetition of the evil, however, soon induced us 
to leave the island, in search of food; and accordingly 
we departed for the Bay of Boutchitaouy, distant 
eiglit leagues,'-* and where we found plenty of wild- 
fowl and fish. 

While in the bay, my guardi-m's daughter-in-law 
was taken in labour, of her first child. She was 
immediately removed out of the common lodge; and 
a small one, for her separate accommodation, was 
begun and finished by the women in less than half 
an hour. 

The next morning, we heard that she was very 
ill, and the family began to be much alarmed on her 
account; the more so, no doubt, because cases of 
difiicult labour are very rare among Indian women. 
In this distress, Wawatam requested me to accom- 

^ The distance from Mackinac Island to the Bay of Boutchi- 
taouy is about twelve miles. 



114 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

panv liim into the woods; and on our way informed 
me, that if he eoiikl find a snake, he should soon 
secure relief to his daughter-in-law. 

On reaching some wet gTOund, we speedily obtain- 
ed the obiect of our search, in a small snake, of the 
kind called the garter-snake. Wawatam seized it by 
the neik; and, holding it fast, while it coiled itself 
round his arm, he cut off its head, catching the blood 
in a cup that he had brought with him. This done, 
he threw away the snake, and carried, home the 
blood, which he mixed with a quantity of water. Of 
this mixture, he administered first one table-spoon- 
ful, and shortly after a second. Within an hour, the 
patient was safely delivered of a fine child; and 
Wawatam subsequently declared, that the remedy, 
to which he had resorted, was one that never failed. 

On the next day, we left the Bay of Boutcbitaouy; 
and the young mother, in high spirits, assisted in 
loading the canoe, barefooted, and knee-deep in 
the water. 

The medical information, the diseases and the 
remedies of the Indians, often engaged my curiosi- 
ty, during the period through which I was familiar 
with these nations; and I shall take this occasion to 
introduce a few particulars, connected with their 
liistory. 

The Indians are in general free from disorders; 
and an instance of their being subject to dropsy, 
gout, or stone, never came within my knowledge. 
Inflammations of the lungs are among their most 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 115 

ordinary complains, and rheumatism still more so, 
especially with the aged. Their mode of life, in 
which thev are so much exposed to the wet and 
cold, sleeping on the ground, and inhaling the night 
air, sufficiently accounts for their liability to these 
diseases. The remedies, on which they most rely, are 
emetics, cathartics and the lancet; but especially the 
last. Bleeding is so favourite an operation among 
the women, that they never lose an occasion of en- 
joying it, whether sick or well. I have sometimes 
bled a dozen women in a morning, as they sat in a 
row, along a fallen tree, beginning with the first — 
opening the vein — then proceeding to the second — 
and so on, having three or four individuals bleeding 
at the same time. 

In most villages, and particularly in those of the 
Chipeways, this service was required of me; and 
no persuasion of mine could ever induce a woman 
to dispense with it. 

In all parts of the country, and among all the 
nations that I have seen, particular individuals 
arrogate to themselves the art of healing, but prin- 
cipally by means of pretended sorcery; and opera- 
tions of this sort are always paid for by a present, 
made before they are begun. Indeed, whatever, as 
an imposter, may be the demerits of the operator, his 
reward may generallv be said to be fairly earned, by 
dint of corporal labour. 

I was once present at a performance of this kind, 
in which the patient was a female child of about 



116 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

twelve years of age. Several of the elder chiefs 
were invited to the scene; and the same compliment 
was paid to myself, on account of the medical skill 
for which it was pleased to gjive me credit. 

The physician (so to call him) seated himself on 
the ground; and before him, on a new stroud blan- 
ket;' was placed a basin of water, in which were 
three bones, the larger ones, as it appeared to me, of 
a swan's wing. In his hand, he had his shishiquoi, or 
rattle/ with which he beat time to his Qnedicine-song. 
The sick child lay on a blanket, near the physician. 
She appeared to have much fever, and a severe 
oppression of the lungs, breathing with difficulty, 
and betraying symptoms of the last stage of con- 
sumption. 

After sinjying for some time, the physician took 
one of the bones out of the basin: the bone was 
hollow; and one end being applied to the breast of 
the patient, he put the other into his mouth, in 
order to remove the disorder by suction. Having 
persevered in this as long as he thought proper, he 
suddenly seemed to force the bone into his mouth, 
and swallow it. He now acted th'^ part of one suffer- 
ing severe pain; but,, presently finding relief, he 

^ Stroud, Gloucestershire, was noted for its woollen manu- 
factures. The stream which flowed through it was peculiarly 
adapted for use in dyeing bright colours. The fur companies 
bought largely of its coloured blankets and its name became a 
trade-mark for those of the best quality. 

* Wilson gives it as sheshiegtonn, and Bishop Baraga as 
jishigivan. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 117 

made a lon^ speech, and after this, returned to sing- 
ing, and to the accompaniment of his rattle. With 
the latter, during his song, he struck his head, breast, 
sides and back; at the same time straining, as if to 
vomit forth the bone. 

Eelinquishing this attempt, he applied himself to 
suction a second time, and with the second of the 
three bones; and this also he soon seemed to swallow. 

Upon its disappearance, he began to distort him- 
self in the most frightful manner, using every 
gesture which could convey the idea of pain: at 
length, he succeeded, or pretended to succeed, in 
throwing up one of the bones. This was handed 
about to the spectators, and strictly examined; but 
nothing remarkable could be discovered. Upon this, 
he went back to his song and rattle; and after some 
time threw up the second of the two bones. In the 
groove of this, the physician, upon examination, 
found, and displayed to all present, a small white 
substance, resembling a piece of the quill of a 
feather. It was passed round the company, from 
one to the other; and declared, by the phvsician, to 
be the thing causing the disorder of his patient. 

The multitude believe that these physicians, 
whom the French call jongleurs, or jugglers, can in- 
flict as well as remove disorders. They believe, 
that by drawing the figure of any person in sand or 
ashes, or on clay, or by considering any object as the 
figure of a person, and then pricking it with a sharp 
stick, or other substance, or doing in any other man- 
ner, that which done to a livina- body, would cause 



118 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

pain or iin'urv, the individual represented, or sup- 
posed to be represented, will suffer according:ly. On 
the other hand, the mischief being done, another 
physician, of equal pretensions, can by suction re- 
move it. — Unfortunately, however, the operations 
which I have described were not successful, in the 
instance referred to; for, on the day after they had 
taken place, the girl died. 

With regard to flesh-wounds, the Indians cer- 
tainly effect astonishing cures. Here, as above, much 
that is fantastic occurs; but the success of their 
practice evinces something solid. 

At the Sault de Sainte-Marie, I knew a man, who, 
in the result of a quarrel, received the stroke of an 
axe in his side. The blow was so violent, and the 
axe driven so deep, that the wretch Avho held it 
could not withdraw it, but left it in the wound, and 
fled. Shortly after, the man was found, and brought 
into the fort, where several other Indians came <to 
his assistance. Among these, one, who was a physi- 
cian, immediately withdrew, in order to fetch his 
penegusan,'' or medicine-bag, with which he soon 
returned. The eyes of the sufferer Avere fixed, his 
teeth closed, and his case apparently desperate. 

The physician took from his bag a small portion of a 
very white substance, resembling that of a bone; this 
he scrapod into a little water, and forcing ooen the 
jaws of the patient with a stick, he poured the 

Pindjigossan, Baraga ; pinjegoosim, Wilson. 



1763] ADVENTURES. 119 

mixture down his throat. What followed was, that 
in a very short space of time, the wounded man 
moved his eyes; and beginning to vomit, threw up 
a small lumiD of clotted blood. 

The physician now, and not before, examined 
the wound, from which I could see the breath escape, 
and from which a part of the omentum*^ depended. 
This, the physician did not set about to restore to its 
place; but, cutting it away, minced it into small 
pieces, and made his patient swallow it. 

The man was then carried to his lodge, where I 
visited him daily. By the sixth day, he was able to 
walk about; and within a month he grew quite well, 
except that he was troubled with a cough. Twenty 
years, after his misfortune, he was still alive. 

Another man, being on his wintering-ground, and 
from home, hunting beaver, was crossing a lake, 
covered with smooth ice, with two beavers on his 
back, when his foot slipped, and he fell. At his 
side, in his belt, was his axe, the blade of which 
came upon the joint of his wrist; and, the weight of 
his body coming upon the blade, his hand was com- 
pletely separated from his arm, with the exception of 
a small piece of the skin. He had to walk three 
miles to his lodge, which was thus far away. The 
skin, which alone retained his hand to his arm, he 

^ Omentum, or caul, a thin membrane more or less covered 
with fat, which is spread over the intestines. From omen, a 
token, so called because the soothsayers prophesied from an 
inspection of it. 



120 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

cTit throug;li, with the same axe which had done 
the rest; and fortunately having on a shirt, he took it 
off, tore it up, and made a strong ligature above the 
wrist, so as in some measure to avoid the loss of 
blood. On reaching his lodge, he cured the wound 
himself, by the mere use of simples. I was a witness 
to it perfect healing." 

I have said, that these physicians, jugglers, or prac- 
titioners of pretended sorcery, are supposed to be 
capable of inflicting diseases; and I may add, that 
they are sometimes themselves sufferers on this ac- 
count. In one instance, I saw one of them killed, 
by a man who charged him with having brought 
his brother to death, by malefic arts. The accuser, 
in his rage, thrust his knife into the bellv of the 
accused, and ripped it open. The latter caught his 
bowels in his arms, and thus walked toward his lodge, 
gathering them up from time to time, as they 
escaped his hold. His lodge was at no considerable 
distance, and he reached it alive, and died in it. 

'The late Dr. Pitcher contributed to Schoolcraft's Indians 
of North America, vol. 4, p. 502, a paper on the remedies used 
hy the American Indians in the cure of disease and on the 
treatment of injuries. Of far more importance, however, to 
them, than the simple remedies which he described, were the 
incantations and ceremonies employed by the medicine men or 
conjurors. Their extraordinary proceedings astonished the Jesuit 
Fathers who first made their acquaintance, and few writers 
since, upon Indian manners and customs, have not devoted a 
considerable space to an account of their strange procedure. 
See Lafitau's Mmnrs des Sauvages Ameriqnains, Paris, 1724 ; 
Schoolcraft, vols. 3, 4 and 5 ; and the Annnal Report of the 
Bureau of Ethnolofiy, 1885-6. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Encamj) on the Island of Saint-Martin. Sturgeon- 
fishery. Remove to Wintering-ground, in Lake 
Michigan. Geographical Remarks. Beaver - 
hunting. Indian Devotion. Beaver. Racoon- 
hunting. 

OUE next encampment was on the island of 
Saint-Martin, off Cape Saint-Ignace, so called from 
the Jesuit mission of Saint Ignatius to the Hurons, 
formerly established there. Our object was to fish, 
for sturgeon, which we did with great success; and 
here, in the enjoyment of a plentiful and excellent 
supply of food, we remained until the twentieth day 
of August. At this time, the autumn being at hand, 
and a sure prospect of increased security from 
hostile Indians afforded, Wawatam proposed going 
to his intended wintering-ground. The removal was 
a subject of the greatest joy to myself, on account 
of the frequent insults, to which I had still to 
submit, from the Indians of our band or village; and 
to escape from which I would freely have gone al- 
most any where. At our wintering-ground, we were 
to be alone; for the Indian families, in the countries 
of which I write, separate in the winter season, for 
the convenience, as well of subsistence as of the 
chase, and re-associate in the spring and summer. 

In preparation, our first business was to sail for 



122 TRAVELS AND [AD. 

Michilimackinac, Avhere, being' amved, we procured 
from a Canadian trader, on (.redit, some trifling 
articles, together with ammunition, and two bushels 
of maize. This done, we steered directly for Lake 
Michigan. At L'Arbre Croche we stopped one day, 
on a visit to the Otawas, where all the people, and 
particularly O'ki'no'chu'ma'ki', the chief, the same 
who took me from the Chipeways, behaved with 
great civility and kindness. The chief presented me 
with a bag of maize. It is the Otawas, it will be re- 
membered, who raise this grain, for the market of 
Michilimackinac. 

Leaving L'Arbre Croche, we proceeded direct to 
the mouth of the river Aux Sables, on th^ south side 
of the lake, and distant about a hundred and fifty 
miles from Fort, Michilimackinac. On our voyage, 
we passed several deep bays and rivers, and I found 
the banks of the lake to consist in mere sands, with- 
out any appearance of verdure; the sand drifting 
from one hill to another, like snow in winter. 
Hence, all the rivers, which here entered the lake, 
are as much entitled to the epithet of sandy, as that 
to which we were bound. They are also distinguish- 
ed by another particularity, always observable in 
similar situations. The current of the stream being 
met, when the wind is contrary, by the waves of the 
lake, it is driven back, and the sands of the shore are 
at the same time washed into its mouth. In conse- 
quence, the river is able to force a passage into the 
lake, broad only in proportion to its utmost strength; 
while it hollows for itself, behind the sand-banks, a 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 123 

basin of one, two, or three miles across. In these 
rivers we killed many wild-fowl and beaver. 

To kill beaver, we used to go several miles up the 
rivers, before the approach of night, and after the 
dusk came on, suffer the canoe to drift gently down 
the current, without noise. The beaver, in this part 
of the evening, come abroad to procure food, or 
materials for repairing their habitations; and as they 
are not alarmed by the canoe, they often pass it 
within gun-shot. 

While we thus hunted along our way, I enjoyed a 
personal freedom of which I had been long deprived, 
and became as expert in the Indian pursuits, as the 
Indians themselves. 

On entering the river Aux Sables, Wawatam took 
a dog, tied its feet together, and threw it into the 
stream, uttering, at the same time, a long prayer, 
which he addressed to the Great Spirit, supplicating 
his blessing on the chase, and his aid in the support 
of the family, through the dangers of a long winter. 
— Our lodge was fifteen miles above the mouth of 
the stream. The principal animals, which the country 
afforded, were the stag or red-deer, the common 
American deer, the bear, racoon, beaver and marten. 

The beaver feeds in preference on young wood of 
the birch, asDen, and poplar-tree;* but, in defect of 
these, on any other tree, those of the pine and fir 
kinds excepted. These latter it employs onlv for 

* Popuhis nigra, called by the Canadians, Hard. 



124 TRAVELS AND [A D. 

building its dams and houses. In wide meadows, 
where no wood is to be found, it resorts, for all its 
purposes, to the roots of the rush and water-lily. It 
consumes great quantities of food, whether of roots 
or wood; and hence often reduces itself to the neces- 
sity of removing into a new quarter. Its house has 
an arched dome-like roof, of an eliptical figui'e, and 
rises Irom tliree to four feet above the surface of the 
water. It is always entirelv surrounded by water; 
but, in the banks adjacent, the animal provides holes 
or washes, of which the entrance is below the sur- 
face, and to which it retreats on the first alarm. 

The female beaver usually produces two young 
at a time, but not unfrequently more. During the 
first year, the young remain with their parents. In 
the second, they occupy an adjoining apartment, and 
assist in building, and in procuring food. At two 
years old, thev part, and build houses of their own; 
but often rove about for a considerable time, before 
they fix upon a spot. There are beavers, called, by 
the Indians, old haclielors, who live by themselves, 
build no houses, and work at no dams, but shelter 
themselves in holes. The usual method of taking 
these is by traps, formed of iron, or logs, and baited 
with branches of poplar. 

According to the Indians, the beaver is much given 
to jealousy. If a strange male approaches the cabin, 
a battle immediately ensues. Of this, the female 
remains an unconcerned spectator, careless to which 
party the law of conquest may assign her. Among 
the beaver which we killed, those who were with me 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 125 

pretended to show demonstrations of this fact; some 
of the skins of the males, and almost all of the older 
ones, bearing- marks of violence, while none were ever 
to be seen on the skins of the females. 

The Indians add, that the male is as constant as 
he is jealous, never attaching himself to more than 
one female; while the female, on her side, is always 
fond of strangers. 

The most common way of taking the beaver is 
that of breaking up its house, which is done with 
trenching-tools, during the winter, when the ice is 
strong enough to allow of approaching them; and 
when, also, the fur is in its most valuable state. 

Breaking up the house, however, is only a pre- 
paratory step. During this operation, the family 
made their escape to one or more of their washes. 
These are to be discovered, by striking the ice along 
the bank, and where the holes are, a hollow sound is 
returned. After discovering and searching many of 
these in vain, we often found the whole family to- 
gether, in the same wash. I was taught occasionally 
to distinguish a full wash from an empty one, by 
the motion of the water above its entrance, occasioned 
by the breathing of the animals 3oncealed in it. 
From the washes, they must be taken but with the 
hands; and in doing this, the hunter sometimes 
receives severe wounds from their teeth. While a 
hunter, I thought, with the Indians, that the beaver- 
flesh was very good; but after that of the ox was 
again within my reach, I could not relish it. The 
tail is accounted a luxurious morsel. 



126 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Beavers, say the Indians, were formerly a peo- 
ple endowed with speech, not less than with the 
other noble faculties they possess; but, the Great 
Spirit has taken this away from tbem, lest they 
should grow superior in understanding to mankind/ 

The racoon was another object of our chase. It 
was my practice to go out in the evening, with dogs, 
accompanied by the youngest son of my guardian, 
to hunt this animal. The racoon never leaves its 
hiding-place till after sun-set. 

As soon as a dog falls on a fresh track of the 
racoon, he gives notice by a cry, and immediately 
pursues. His barking enables the hunter to follow. 
The racoon, which travels slowly, and is soon over- 
taken, makes for a tree, on which he remains till 
shot. 

After the falling of the snow, nothing more is 
necessary, for taking the racoon, than to follow the 
track of his feet. In this season, he seldom leaves 
his habitation; and he never lays up any food. I 
have found six at a time, in the hollow of one tree, 
lying upon each other, and nearly in a torpid state. 
In more than one instance, I have ascertained that 
thev have lived six weeks without food. The mouse 
is their Drincipal prey. 

^ Much additional interesting information will be found in 
Martin's Gastorologia, or the History and Traditions of the 
Canadian Beaver, Montreal, 1892 ; and Morgan's American 
Beaver. Phil., 1875. 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 127 

Racoon-liuiiting: was my /more particular aad 
daily employ. I usually went out at the first dawn 
of day, and seldom returned till sun-set, or till I had 
laden myself with as many animals as I could carry. 
By degrees, I became familiarized with this kind of 
life ; and had it not been for the idea of which I could 
not divest my mind, that I was living among savages, 
and for the whispers of a lingering hope, that I should 
one day be released from it — or if I could have for- 
gotten that I had ever been otherwise than as I then 
was — I could have enjoyed as much happiness in this, 
as in anv other situation. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Feast of the Manes of Relations and Friends. Pro- 
duct of Chase. Indian Family set out on a Hunt- 
ing Excursion. Indian travelling by Land. 
Author loses his Way. 

ONE evening, on my return from hunting, I 
found the fire put out, and the opening, in the top 
of the lodge, covered over with skins; by this means 
excluding, as much as possible, external light. I fur- 
ther observed, that the ashes were removed from 
the fire-place, and that dry sand was spread where 
they had been. Soon after, a fire was made without 
side the cabin, in the open air, and a kettle hung 
over it to boil. 

I now supposed that a feast was in preparation. I 
supposed so, only; for it would have been indecorous 
to inquire into the meaning; of what I saw. No 
person, among the Indians themselves, would use 
this freedom. Good-breeding requires that the 
spectator should patientlv wait the result. 

As soon as the darkness of night had amved the 
family, including myself, were invited into the lodge. 
I was now requested not to speak, as a feast was about 
to be given to the dead, whose spirits delight in unin- 
terrupted silence. 

As we entered, each was presented with his 



1763.] TRAVELS, &c. 129 

wooden-disii and spoon, after receiving which we 
seated ourselves. The door was next shut, and we 
remained in perfect darkness. 

The master of the family was the master of the 
feast. Still in the dark, he asked every one, by turn, 
for his dish, and put into each two boiled ears of 
maize. The whole being served, he began to speak. 
In his discourse, which lasted half an hour, he called 
upon the manes of his deceased relations and friends, 
beseeching them to be present, to assist him in the 
chase, and to partake of the food which he had pre- 
pared for them. When he had ended, we proceeded 
to eat our maize, which we did without other noise 
than what was occasioned by our teeth. The maize 
was not half boiled, and it took me an hour to con- 
sume my share. I was requested not to break the 
spikes,* as this would be displeasing to the departed 
spirits of their friends. 

When all was eaten, Wawatam made another 
speech, with which the ceremony ended. A new fire 
was kindled, with fresh sparks, from flint and steel; 
and the pipes being smoked, the spikes were carefully 
buried, in a hole made in the ground for that purpose, 
within the lodge. This done, the whole family began 
a dance, Wawatam singing, and beating a drum. 
The dance continued the greater part of the night, to 
the great pleasure of the lodge. — The night of the 
feast was that of the first day of ISTovember. 

* The grains of maize, called also Indian corn, grow in com- 
pact cells, round a spike. 
9 



130 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

On the twentieth of December, we took an account 
of the produce of our hunt, and found that we had a 
hujidred bearer-skins, as many racoons, and a large 
quantity of dried venison; all which was secured from 
the wolves, by being placed upon a scaffold. 

A hunting-excursion, into the interior of the 
country, was resolved on; and, early the next morn- 
ing, the bundles were made up by the women, for 
each person to cany. I remarked, that the bundle 
given to me was the lightest, and those carried by 
the women, the largest and heaviest of the whole. 

On the first day of our march, we advanced about 
twenty miles, and then encamped. Being somewhat 
fatigued, I could not hunt; but Wawatam killed a 
stag, not far from our encampment. The next morn- 
ine', we moved our lodse to the carcass. At this 
station, we remained two days, employed in drying 
the meat. The method was to cut it into slices, of 
the thickness of a steak, and then hang it over the fire, 
in the smoke. On the third day, we removed, and 
marched till two o'clock in the afternoon. 

While the women were busy in erecting and pre- 
paring the lodfi-es, I took mv gun, and strolled away, 
telling- Wawatam that I intended to look out for some 
fresh meat, for supper. He answered, that he would 
do the same; and, on this, we both left the encamp- 
ment, in different directions. 

The sun being visible, I entertained no fear of 
losing my way; but, in following several tracks of 
animals, in momentary expectation of falling in with 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 131 

the game, I proceeded to a considerable distance, and 
it was not till near sun-set tliat I tlioug:lit of retui'n- 
ing. The sky, too, had become overcast, and I was 
therefore left without the sun for my guide. In this 
situation, I walked as fast as I could, always supposing 
myself to be approaching our encampment, till at 
length it became so dark that I ran against the 
trees. 

I became convinced that I was lost; and I was 
alarmed by the reflection, that I was in a country 
entirely strange to me, and in danger from strange 
Indians. With the flint af my gun, I made a fire, 
and then laid me down to sleep. In the night, it 
rained hard. I awoke, cold and wet; and as soon as 
light appeared, I recommenced my journey, some- 
times walking and sometimes running, unknowing 
where to go, bewildered, and like a madman. 

Toward evening, I reached the border of a large 
lake, of which I could scarcely discern the opposite 
shore. I had never heard of a lake in this part of 
the country, and therefore felt myself removed fur- 
ther than ever from the object of my pursuit. To 
tread back my steps appeared to be the most likely 
means of delivering myself; and I accordingly deter- 
mined to turn my face directly from the lake, and 
keep this direction as nearly as I could. 

A heavy snow began to descend, and night soon 
afterward came on. On this, I stopped and made a 
fire; and stripping a tree of its sheet of bark, lay 
down under it, to shelter me from the snow. All 
night, at small distances, the wolves howled around; 



132 TRAVELS AND [AD. 

and, to me, seemed to be acquainted with my mis- 
fortune. 

Amid thoughts the most distracted, I was able 
at lene:th, to fall asleep; but it was not long before 
I awoke, refreshed, and wondering at the terror to 
which I had yielded myself. That I could really 
have wanted the means of recovering my way, ap- 
peared to me almost incredible; and the recollection 
of it like a dream, or as a circumstance which must 
have proceeded from the loss of my senses. Had this 
not happened, I could never, as I now thou2:ht, have 
suffered so long, without calling to mind the lessons 
which I had received from my Indian friend, for the 
very purpose of being useful to me, in difficulties of 
this kind. These were, that generally speaking, the 
tops of pine-trees lean toward the rising of the sun; 
that moss grows toward the roots of trees, on the 
side which faces the north; and that the limbs of trees 
are most numerous, and largest, on that which faces 
the south. 

Determined to direct my feet by these marks, and 
persuaded that I should thus, sooner or later, reach 
Lake Michigan, which I reckoned to be ^ distant 
about sixty miles, I began my march at break of day. 
I had not taken, nor wished to take, any nourish- 
ment, since I left the encampment; I had with me 
my gun pnd ammunition, and was therefore under no 
anxiety in regard to food. The snow lay about half 
a foot in depth. 

My eyes were now employed upon the trees. 
"When their tops leaned different ways, I looked to 



1763.] ADVENTURES. 133 

tlie moss, or to the branches; and by connecting one 
with another, I found the means of travelling with 
some degree of confidence. At four o'clock in the. 
afternoon, the sun, to my inexpressible joy, broke 
from the clouds, and I had now no further need of 
examining the trees. 

In going down the side of a lofty hill, I saw a 
herd of red-deer approaching. Desirous of killing 
one of them for food, I hid myself in the bushes, 
and on a large one coming near, presented my piece, 
which missed fire, on account of the priming having 
been wetted. The animals walked along without 
taking the least alarm; and, having re-loaded my 
gun, I followed them, and presented a second time. 
But, now, a disaster of the heaviest kind had be- 
fallen me; for, on attempting to fire, I found that I 
had lost the cock. I had previously lost the screw by 
which it was fastened to the lock; and to prevent 
this from being lost also, I had tied it in its place, 
with a leather string: the lock, to prevent its catch- 
ing in the bows, I had carried under my molton 
coat. 

Of all the sufferings which T had experienced, this 
seemed to me the most severe. I was in a strange 
country, and knew not how far T had to go. T had 
been three days without food; I was now without 
the means of procuring myself either food or fire. 
Despair had almost overpowered me; but, I soon re- 
signed myself into the hands of that Providence, 
whose arm had so often saved me, and returned on 
my track, in search of what I had lost. My search 
was in vain, and I resumed my course, wet, cold and 
hungry, and almost without clothing. 



CHAPTEE XVII. 

Author regains the Encampment — kills a Bear. 
Indians endeavour to soothe the Manes of the 
Bear, and pay it the Jiomage of the customary 
Feast. Some Remarks on the Natural History of 
the Bear. Stag-hunting. 

THE sun was setting fast, wlien I descended a hill, 
at the bottom of which was a small lake, entirely 
frozen over. On drawing near, I saw a beaver-lodge 
in the middle, offering some faint prospect of food; 
but, I found it already broken up. While I looked 
at it, it suddenly occurred to me, that I had seen it 
before; and turning my eyes round the place, I dis- 
covered a small tree, which I had myself cut down, 
in the autumn, when, in company with my friends, I 
had taken the beaver. I was no longer at a loss, but 
knew both the distance and the route, to the encamp- 
ment. The latter was only to follow the course of a 
small stream of water, which ran from the encamp- 
ment to the lake on which I stood. An hour before, 
I had thouaht myself the most miserable of men; 
and now I leaped for joy, and called myself the 
happiest. 

The whole of the night, ?nd through all the suc- 
ceeding day, I walked up the rivulet, and at sunset 
reached the encampment, where I was received with 
the warmest expressions of pleasure by the family, 



1764.] TRAVELS, &c. 135 

by whom I had been ^iven up for lost, after a long 
and vain search for me in the woods. 

Some days elapsed, during which I rested myself, 
and recruited mv strength: after this, I resumed the 
chase, secure, that as the snow had now fallen, I 
could always return by the way I went. 

In the course of the month of January, I happened 
to observe that the trunk of a very large pine-tree 
was much torn by the claws of a bear, made both in 
going up and down. On further examination, I saw 
that there was a large opening, in the upper part, 
near which the smaller branches were broken. 
From these marks, and from the additional circum- 
stance, that there were no tracks on the snow, there 
was reason to believe that a bear lay concealed in the 
tree. 

On returning to the lodge, I communicated my 
discovery; and it was agreed that all the family should 
ffo together, in the morning, to assist in cutting down 
the tree, the girth of which was not less than three 
fathom. The women, at first, opposed the under- 
taking, because our axes, being only of a pound : and 
a half weight/ were not well adapted to so heavy a 
labour; but, the hope of finding a large bear, and 
obtaining from its fat a great quantity of oil, an 
article at the time much wanted, at length prevailed. 

Accordingly, in the morning, we surrounded the 

^ The chopper's ordinary axe, averages four and a-half pounds 
weight. 



136 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

tree, both men and women, as many at a time as 
could eonveuien-'Jy work at it; and liere we toiled, 
like beaver, till the sun went down. This day's 
work carried us about half way tlirough the trunk ; and 
the next morning we renewed the attack, continumg it 
till about two o'clock, in the afternoon, when the 
tree fell to the ground. For a few minutes, every 
thing remained quiet, and I feared that all our expec- 
tations were disappointed ; but, as I advanced to the 
opening, there came out, to the great satisfaction of 
all our party, a bear of extraordinary size, which, 
before she had proceeded many yards, I shot. 

The bear being dead, all my assistants approached, 
and all, but more particularly my old mother (as I 
was wont to call her), took his head in their hands, 
stroking and kissing it several times; begging a 
thousand pardons for taking away her life; calling 
her their relation and grandmother; and requesting 
her not to lay the fault upon them, since it was truly 
an Englishman that had put her to death.'* 

^ " The reverence of hunters for the bear, whom they 
regularly kill and eat may thus be traced all along the northern 
region of the Old World, from Behring's Straits to Lapland. 
It reappears in similar form in North America. With the 
American Indiana, a bear hunt was an important event for 
which they prepared by long fasts and purgations. Before 
setting out they offered expiatory sacrifices to the souls of bears 
slain in previous hunts, and besought them to be favourable to 
the hunters. When a bear was killed the hunter lit his pipe, 
and putting the mouth of it between the bear's lips, blew into 
the bowl, filling the beasts mouth with smoke. Then he begged 
the bear not to be angry at having been killed and not to thwart 
him afterwards in the chase. The carcass was roasted whole 



i764.] ADVENTURES. I37 

This ceremony was not of long duration; and if it 
was I that killed their grandmother, they were not 
themselves behind-hand in what remained to be per- 
formed. The skin being taken off, we found the 
fat in several places six inches deep. This,, being 
divided into two parts, loaded two persons; and the 
flesh parts, were as much as four persons could carry. 
In all, the carcass must have exceeded five hundred 
weight. 

As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear's head 
was adorned with all the trinkets in the possession of 
the family, such as silver arm-bands and wrist-bands, 
and belts of wampum; and then laid upon a 
scaffold, set up for its reception, within the lodge. 
ISTear the nose, was placed a large quantity of tobacco. 

The next morning no sooner appeared, than pre- 
parations were made for a feast to the manes. The 
lodge was cleaned and swept; and the head of the 
bear lifted ut). and a new stroud blanket, which had 
never been used before, spread under it. The pipes 
were now lit; and Wawatam blew tobacco-smoke into 
the nostrils of the bear, telling me to do the same, 

and eaten, not a morsel of the flesh might be left over. The 
head, painted red and blue, was hung on a post and addressed 
by orators, who heaped praise on the dead beast. When men 
of the Bear clan in the Ottawa tribe killed a bear, they made a 
feast of his own flesh, and addressing him thus, ' Cherish us no 
grudge because we killed you. You have sense and see that 
our children are hungry. They love you and wish to take you 
into their bodies. Is it not glorious to be eaten by the children 
of a chief r "—J". Q. Fraser, The Golden Bough, vol. 1., p. 112. 



138 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

and tlius appease the anger of the bear, on account 
of my having killed her. I endeavoured to persuade 
my benefactor and friendly adviser, that she no 
longer had any life, and assured him that I was under 
no apprehension from her displeasure; but, the first 
proposition obtained no credit, and the second gave 
but little satisfaction.^ 

At length, the feast being ready, Wawatam com- 
menced a speech, resembling, in many things, his ad- 
dress to the manes of his relations and departed com- 
panions; but, having this peculiarity, that he her© 
deplored the necessity under which men laboured, 
thus to destroy their friends. He represented, how- 
ever, that the misfortune was unavoidable, .since 
without doing so, they could by no means subsist. 
The speech ended, we all ate heartily of the bear's 
flesh; and even the head itself, after remaining ihree 
days on the scaffold, was put into the kettle. 

It is only the female bear that makes her winter 
lodging in the upper parts of trees, a practice by 
which her young are secured from the attacks of 
wolves and other animals. She brings forth in the 

3 "Thus the primitive worship of animals assumes two forms 
which are in some respects the converse of each other. On the 
one hand animals are respected and are therefore neither killed 
or eaten. Totemism is a form of this worship. * * * On 
the other hand, animals are worshipped because they are habitu- 
ally killed and eaten. In both forms of worship the animal is 
revered on account of some benefit, positive or negative, which 
the savage hopes to receive from it." — J. G. Frnser, The 
Golden Bough, vol. 1, p. 13.3. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 139 

winter-season; and remains in her lod^e till the cubs 
itave gained some strength. 

The male always lodges in the ground, under the 
roots of trees. He takes to this habitation as^soon as 
the snow falls, and remains there till it has disappear- 
ed. The Indians remark, that the bear comes out in 
the spring with the same fat which he carried in, in 
the autumn; but, after exercise of only a few days, 
becomes lean. Excepting for a short part of the 
season, the male lives constantly alone. 

The fat of our bear was melted down, and the oil 
filled six porcupine-skins.* A part of the meat was 
cut into strips, and fire-dried, after which it was put 
into the vessels containing the oil, where it Temained 
in perfect preservation, until the middle of summer. 

February, in the country and by the people where 
and among whom I was, is called the Moon of Hard, 
or Crusted Snow; for now the snow can bear a man, 
or at least dogs, in pursuit of animals of the chase. 

At this season, the stag is very successfully hunted, 
his feet breaking through at every step, and the crust 
upon the snow, cutting his legs, with its sharp edges, 
to the very bone. He is consequently, in this distress, 
an easy prev; and it frequently happened that we 
killed twelve in the short space of two hours. By 
this means, we were soon put into possession of four 
thousand weight of dried venison, which was to be 

* The animal, which, in America, is called the porcupine, is 
a hedge-hog, or urchin. 



140 TRAVELS, &c. 1763.] 

carried on our backs, along; with all tlie rest of our 
wealth, for seventy miles, the distance of our encamp- 
ment from that part of the lake shore, at which in 
the autumn we left our canoes. This journey it' was 
our next business to perform. 



CHAPTEE XVIII. 

CoTnmence return to Michilvmackinac. Join other 
Indian Families and make Maple-sugar. Family 
Lands. Child Scalded. Prayers, Fasts and Sacri- 
Aces for its Recovery. Child Dies. Body carried 
for Burial at the accustomed Burial-ground of 
the Family. Burial. Indian Opinions concern- 
ing the Future State of the Soul of Man. 

OUR venison and furs and peltries were to be dis- 
posed of at Michilimackinac, and it was now tke 
season for carrying them to market. The women 
therefore prepared our loads; and the morning of de- 
parture being come^ we sat off at day-break, and con- 
tinued our march till two o'clock in the afternoon. 
Where we stopped, we erected a scaffold, on which 
we deposited the bundles we had brought, and return- 
ed to our encampment, which we reached in the 
evening. In the morning, we carried fresh loads, 
which being deposited with the rest, we returned a 
second time in the evening. This we repeated, 
till all was forwarded one stage. Then, removing 
our lodge to the place of deposit, we car- 
ried our goods, with the same patient toil, a second 
staere; and so on, till we were at no great distance 
from the shores of the lake. 

Arrived here, we turned our attention to sugar- 
making, the management of which, as I have before 



142 TRAVELS AND [a.D. 

related, belongs to the women, the men cutting wood 
for the fires, and hunting and fishing. In the midst 
of this, we were joined by several lodges of Indians, 
most of whom were of the family to which I belonged, 
and had wintered near us. The lands belonged to 
this family, and it had therefore the exclusive right 
to hunt on them. This is according to the custom of 
the people; for each family has its own lands. I was 
treated very civilly by all the lodges. 

Our society had been a short time enlarged, by 
this arrival of our friends, when an accident occurred 
which filled all the villaa^e with anxiety and sorrow. 
A little child, belonging to one of our neighbours, fell 
into a kettle of boiling syrup. It was instantly snatch- 
ed out, but with little hope of its recovery. 

So long, however, as it lived, a continual feast was 
observed; and this was made to the Great Spirit and 
Master of Life, that he might be pleased to save and 
heal the child. At this feast, I was a constant guest; 
and often found difficulty in eating the large quantity 
of food, which, on such occasions as these, is put 
upon each man's dish. The Indians accustom them- 
selves both to eat much, and to fast much, with 
facility. 

Several sacrifices were also offered; among which 
were dogs, killed and hung upon the tops of poles, 
with the addition of stroud blankets and other articles. 
These, also, were given to the Great Spirit, in 
humble hope that he would give efficacy to the 
medicines employed. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 143 

The child died. To preserve the body from the 
wolves, it was placed upon a scaffold, where it re- 
mained till we went to the lake, on the border of 
which was the burial-ground of the family. 

On our arrival there, which happened in the be- 
ginning of April, I did not fail to attend the funeral. 
The grave was made of a large size, and the whole of 
the inside lined with birch-bark. On the bark was 
laid the body of the child, accompanied with an axe, 
a pair of snow-shoes, a small kettle, several pairs of 
common shoes, its own strings of beads, and — because 
it was a girl — a carrying-belt and a paddle. The 
kettle was filled with meat. 

All this was again covered with bark; and at about 
two feet nearer the surface, logs were laid across, 
and these again covered with bark, so that the earth 
might by no means fall upon the corpse. 

The last act before the burial, performed by the 
mother, crying over the dead body of her child, was 
that of taking from it a lock of hair, for a memorial. 
While she did this, I endeavoured to console her, by 
offering the usual arguments; that the child was 
happy in being released from the miseries of this 
present life, and that she should forbear to grieve, 
because it would be restored to her in another world, 
happy and everlasting. She answered, that she knew 
it, and that by the lock of hair she should discover 
her daughter; for she would take it with her. — In 
this she alluded to the day, when some pious hand 
would place in her own grave, along with the carry- 



144 TRAVELS, &c. 1764.} 

ing-belt and paddle, this little relic, hallowed by 
maternal tears.' 

I have frequently inquired into the ideas and 
opinions of the Indians, in regard to futurity, and 
always found that they were somewhat different, in 
different individuals. 

Some suppose their souls to remain in this world, 
although invisible to human eyes; and capable, 
themselves, of seeing and hearing their friends, and 
also of assisting them, in moments of distress and 
danger. 

Others dismiss from the mortal scene the uu- 
embodied spirit, and send it to a distant world or 
country, in which it receives reward or punishment, 
according to the life which it has led in its prior state. 
Those who have lived virtuously are transported into 
a place abounding with every luxury, with deer and 
all other animals of the woods and water, and where 
the earth produces, in their greatest perfection, all its 
sweetest fruits. While, on the other hand, those who 
have ^dolated or neglected the duties of this life, are 
removed to a barren soil, where they wander up and 
down, among rocks and morasses, and are stung by 
gnats, as large as pigeons. 



' A most comprehensive study of the mortunry customs of 
the North Atnerican Indians has been made by Dr. Yarrow in 
a monograph V7hich will be found among the jiublications of 
the Smithsonian Institute. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Indians apprehensive oj an attack from the Eng- 
lish — kill a Panther — embark for Michilimack- 
inac. Author consulted as to information con- 
veyed to him in Dreams — sells his Furs and 
Peltries. Indian taciturnity. Author's Life 
threatened. Wawatam carries him from Fort 
Michilimackinac. Dreams of Wawatam's Wife 
oblige the Family to remain at Isle aux Outardes. 

WHILE we remained on the border of tlie lake, a 
watcli was kept every night, in the apprehension of 
a speedy attack from the English, who were expected 
to avenge the massacre of Michilimackinac. The 
immediate grounds of this apprehension were the 
constant dreams, to this effect, of the more aged 
women. I endeavoured to persuade them that 
nothing of the kind would take place; but their fears 
were not to be subdued. 

Amid these alarms, there came a report concerning 
a real, though less formidable enemy, discovered in 
our neighbourhood. This was a panther/ which one 
our young men had seen, and which animal some- 



^ Panther or Catamount, is the wild-cat or lynx of the 
Northern States and Canada, of which there are several 
varieties. This was probably the Canada lynx (Lynx Cana- 
densis). 
10 



146 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

times attacks and carries away the the Indian children. 
Our camp was immediately on the alert, and we set 
off into the woods, about twenty in number. We 
had not proceeded more than a mile, before the dogs 
found the panther, and pursued him to a tree, on 
which he was shot. He was of a large size. 

On the twenty-fifth of April, we embarked for 
Michilimackinac. At Le Grande Traverse, we met 
a lare^e party of Indians, who appeared to labour, like 
ourselves, under considerable alarm; and who dared 
proceed no further, lest they should be destroyed by 
the English. Frequent councils of the united bands 
were held; and interrogations were continually put to 
myself, as to whether or not I knew of any design to 
attack them. I found that they believed it possible 
for me to have a fore-knowledge of events, and to be 
informed by dreams of all things doing at a distance. 

Protestations of my ignorance were received with 
but little satisfaction, and incurred the suspicion of 
a design to conceal my knowledge. On this account 
therefore, or because I saw them tormented with 
fears which had nothing but imagination to rest upon, 
I told them, at length, that I knew there was no 
enemy to insult them; and that they might proceed 
to Michilimackinac without danger from the Eng- 
lish. I further, and with more confidence, declared, 
that if ever mv countrymen returned to Michilimac- 
kinac, I would recommend them to their favour, on 
account of the good treatment which I had received 
from them. Thus encouraged, they embarked at an 
early hour the next morning. In crossing the bay, 
we experienced a storm of thunder and lightning. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 147 

Our port was the village of L'Arbre Croche, which 
we reached in safety, and where we staid till the 
following day. At this village we found several 
persons who had been lately at Michilimackinac, and 
from them we had the satisfaction of learning that 
all was qiiiet there. The remainder of our voyage 
was therefore performed with confidence. 

In the evening of the twenty-seventh, we landed 
at the fort, which now contained only two French 
traders. The Indians who had arrived before us 
were very few in number; and by all who were of 
our party, I was used very kindly. I had the entire 
freedom both of the fort and camp. 

Wawatam and myself settled our stock, and paid 
our debts; and this done, I found that my share 
of what was left consisted in a hundred beaver-skins, 
sixty racoon-skins and six otter, of the total value of 
about one hundred and sLxty dollars. With these 
earnings of my winter's toil, I proposed to purchase 
clothes, of which I was much in need, having been 
six months without a shirt; but, on inquiring into 
the prices of goods, I found that all my funds would 
not go far. I was able, however, to buy two shirts, 
at ten pounds of beaver each; a pair of leggings, or 
pantaloons, of scarlet c loth, which with the ribbon to 
garnish them fashionably, cost me fifteen pounds of 
beaver; a blanket, at twenty pounds of beaver; and 
some other articles, at proportionable rates. In this 
manner, my wealth was soon reduced; but, not before 
I had laid in a good stock of ammunition and tobacco. 



148 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

To the use of the latter I had become much attached 
during the winter. It was my principal recreation, 
after returning from the chase; for my companions 
in the lodge were unaccustomed to pass the time in 
conversation. Among the Indians, the topics of con- 
versation are but few, and limited for the most part, 
to the transactions of the day, the number of animals 
which they have killed, and of those which have 
escaped their pursuit; and other incidents of the chase. 
Indeed, the causes of taciturnity among the Indians, 
may be easily understood, if we consider how many 
occasions of speech, which present themselves to us, 
are utterly unknown to them; the records of history, 
the pursuits of science, the disquisitions of philosophy, 
the systems of politics, the business and the amuse- 
ments of the day, and the transactions of the four 
corners of the world. 

Eight days had passed in tranquillity, when there 
arrived a band of Indians from the Bay of Saguenaum.- 
They had assisted at the siege of Detroit, and came 
to muster as many recruits for that service as they 
could. For my own part, I was soon informed, that 
as I was the only Englishman in the place, they pro- 
posed to kill me, in order to scive their friends a mess 
of English broth, to raise their courage. 

Tliis intelligence was not of tlie most agreeable 
kind; and in consequence of receiving it, I requested 



2 A notoriously turbulent band of Chippeways from the head 
of Saginaw Bay. This name Charlevoix s;ives as Saguinam, 
while in De L'Isle'a map of 1703 it appears as Saguina. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 149 

my friend to carry me to the Sault de Sainte-Marie, 
at which place I knew the Indians to be peaceably 
inclined, and that M. Cadotte enjoyed a powerful in- 
fluence over their conduct. They considered M. 
Cadotte as their chief; and he was not only my friend, 
but a friend to the English. It was by him that the 
Chipeways of Lake Superior were prevented from 
joining Pontiac. 

Wawatam was not slow to exert himself for my 
preservation; but, leaving Michilimackinac in the 
night, transported myself and all his lodge to Point 
Saint-Ignace, on the opposite side of the strait. 
Here we remained till day-light, and then went into 
the Bay of Boutchitaouy, in which we spent three 
days in fishing and hunting, and where we found 
plenty of wild-fowl. Leaving the bay, we made 
for the Isle aux Outardes, where we were obliged to 
put in, on account of the wind's coming ahead. We 
proposed sailine" for the Sault the next morning. 

But, when the morning came, Wawatam's wife 
complained that she was sick, adding, that she had 
had bad dreams, and knew that if we went to the 
Sault we should all be destroyed. To have argued, 
at this time, against the infallibility of dreams, would 
have been extremely un advisable, since I should have 
appeared to be guilty, not onlv of an odious want (?f 
faith, but also of a still more odious want of sensibility 
to the possible calamities of a family which had done 
so much for the alleviation of mine. I was silent; 
but the disappointment seemed to seal my fate. No 



150 TRAVELS, &c. [1764. 

prospect opened to console me. To return to 
Michilimackinac could only ensure my destruction; 
and to remain at tlie island was to brave almost equal 
dani2;er, since it lay in the direct route between tbe 
fort and the Missisaki, along which the Indians from 
Detroit were hourly expected to pass, on the business 
of theu' mission. I doubted not, but, taking; advan- 
tage of the solitary situation of thB family, they 
would carry into execution their design of killing me. 



CHAPTEK XX. 

Author is again relieved — takes leave of Wawatam 
and his Family — is hospitably received by M. 
Cadotte, at the Sault de Sainte- Marie — pursued 
by the Indians. Einbassy from Sir William 
Johnson. Deputation to Sir William — Author 
to accompany it Great Turtle to be consulted. 

UlSrABLE tlierefore to take any part in the direc- 
tion of onr course, but a prey at the same time to the 
most anxious thoughts as to my own condition, I 
passed all the day on the hia:hest part, to which I 
could climb, of a tall tree, and whence the lake, on 
both sides of the island, lay open to mv view. Here 
I might hope to learn, at the earliest possible, the 
approach of canoes, and by this means be warned in 
time to conceal myself. 

On the second morning, I returned, as soon as it 
was light, to my watch-tower, on which I had not 
been long before I discovered a sail, coming from 
Michilimackinac. 

The sail was a white one, and much larger than 
those usually employed by the Northern Indians. I 
therefore indulged a hope that it might be a Canadian 
canoe, on its voyage to Montreal; and that I might 
be able to prevail upon the crew to take me with 
them and thus release me from all my troubles. 



152 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Mv hopes continued to gain strength; for I soon 
persuaded myself that the manner in which the 
paddles were used, on board the canoe, was Canadian, 
and not Indian. My spirits were elated; but, dis- 
appointment had become so usual with me that I could 
not suffer myself to look to the event with any 
strength of confidence. 

Enough, however, appeared at length to demon- 
strate itself, to induce me to descend the tree, and 
repair to the lodge, with mv tidings and schemes of 
liberty. The family congratulated me on the ap- 
proach of so fair an opportunity of escape; and my 
father and brother (for he was alternately each of 
these), lit his pipe, and presented it to me, saying, 
" My son, this may be the last time that ever you and 
" I shall smoke out of the same pipe ! I am sorry to 
" part with you. You know the affection which I 
" have always borne you, and the dangers to which I 
" have exposed myself and family, to preser\^e you 
" from your enemies; and I am happy to find that my 
" efforts promise not to have been in vain." — At this 
time, a boy came into the lodge, informing us that 
the canoe had come from Michilimackinac, and was 
bound to the Sault de Sainte-Marie. It was manned 
by three Canadians, and was carrying home Madame 
Cadotte, the mfe of M. Cadotte, already mentioned. 

My hopes of going to Montreal being now dis 
sipated, I resolved on accompanying Madame Ca- 
dotte, with her permission, to the Sault. On com- 
municating my wishes to Madame Cadotte, she 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 153 

cheerfully acceded to them. Madame Cadotte, as I 
have already mentioned, was an Indian woman, of 
the Chipeway nation; and she was very generally 
respected.^ 

My departure fixed upon, I returned to the lodge, 
where I packed up my wardrobe, consisting of my 
two shirts, pair of leggings and blanket. Besides 
these, I took a gun and ammunition, presenting what 
remained further to my host. I also returned the 



^ Jean Baptists Cadotte, or Cadot, was the son of M. Cadeaux 
" who arrived in the Ojibwa country in 1671, in the train of 
the French envoy, Sieur de St. Lusson." His early life was 
spent with the adventurous traders who found their way to the 
headwaters of the Mississippi and Great Lakes. As a "mar- 
chant voyageur " he confined his trading to the Ojibwa villages 
of Lake Superior, and held almost a monopoly of their trade. 
He married the daughter of a chief of the A-waus-e clan, one of 
the principal divisions of the Ojibwas, first with the native 
ceremonies and afterwards in the chapel. All records bear 
testimony to her uprightness, energy,* and force of character. 
Aided by her, Cadotte exercised great and salutary influence 
over the Ojibwas and when French domination passed away he 
was the only French trader of any importance who remained in 
the upper country. He was the last Governor of the fort at 
Sault Ste. Marie. He became Henry's partner, and lived till 
1803. His large land claims were disallowed by the American 
Government after the revolution. His two sons, John Baptiste 
and Michel, were notable characters in the fur trade in the 
days of the North- West Company. Both married Indian wives 
and both have left many descendants who are scattered over 
the Western States and Canada. — Tasse's Les Ganadiens de 
L'Ouest, vol. 1 ; Minnesota Historical Society Collections, vol. .5. 
A curious story about one of Cadotte's grandchildren is told in 
Kingston' s Western Wanderings, vol. 1, p. 235. 



154 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

silver arm-bands, with whicli the family had deco- 
rated me, the year before. 

"We now exchanged farewells, with an emotion 
entirely reciprocal. I did not quit the lodge without 
the most grateful sense of the many acts of goodness 
which I had experienced in it, nor without the 
sincerest respect for the virtues which I had witnessed 
among its members. All the family accompanied 
me to the beach; and the canoe had no sooner put off, 
than Wawatam commenced an address to the Ki'chi' 
Ma'ni'to',-^ beseechino- him to take care of me, his 
brother, till we should next meet. This, he had told 
me, would not be long, as he intended to return to 
Michilimackinac for a short time only, and would 
then follow me to the Sault. — We had proceeded to 
too great a distance to allow of our hearins: his voice, 
before Wawatam had ceased to offer up his prayers.^ 

Being now no longer in the society of Indians, I 
laid aside the dress, putting on that of a Canadian: a 
molton or blanket coat, over my shirt; and a handker- 
chief about my head, hats being very little worn in 
this country. 



- Kitchi, great ; Manito, spirit. — Baraga. Keche Muhnedoo. 
— Wilson. 

^ Schoolcraft made many efforts to discover traces of 
Wawatam and his family but without success. A Mrs. 
Dowsman, of Mackinac, told him that Wawatam became blind 
and was accidentally burned in his lodge at Ottawa Point. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 155 

At day-break, on the second morning of our 
voyage, we embarked, and presently perceived 
several canoes behind us. As they approached, we 
ascertained them to be the fleet, bound for the 
Missisaki, of which I had been so long in dread. It 
amounted to twenty sail. 

On coming up with us, and surrounding our 
canoe, and amid general inquiries concerning the 
news, an Indian challenged me for an Englishman, 
and his companions supported him, by declaring 
that I looked very like one; but I affected not to 
understand any of the questions which they asked me, 
and Madame Cadotte assured them that I was a 
Canadian, whom she had brought on his first voyage 
from Montreal. 

The following day saw us safely landed at the 
Sault, where I experienced a eenerous welcome from 
M. Cadotte. There were thirty warriors at this 
place, restrained from joining in the war only by M, 
Cadotte's influence. 

Here, for five days, I was once more in possession 
of tranquility; but, on the sixth, a young Indian 
came into M. Cadotte's saying that a canoe full of 
warriors had just arrived from Michilimackinac ; that 
they had inquired for me; and that he believed their 
intentions to be bad. ISTearlv at the same time, a 
message came from the good chief of the village, de- 
siring me to conceal myself, until he should discover 
the views and temper of the strangers. 

A garret was a second time my place of refuge ; and 



156 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

it was not long before the Indians came to 
M. Cadotte's. My friend immediately informed 
Mut'chi'ki'wish, their cliief, who was related to his 
wite, of the design imputed to them, of mischief 
against myself. Mutchikiwish frankly acknowledged 
that they had had such a design ; but added that if dis- 
pleasing to M. Cadotte, it should be abandoned. He 
then further stated, that their errand was to raise a 
party of warriors to return with them to Detroit; and 
that it had been their intention to take me with them. 

In regard to the principal of the two objects thus 
disclosed, M. Cadotte proceeded to assemble all the 
chiefs and warriors of the village; and these, after de- 
liberating for some time among themselves, sent for 
the strangers, to whom both M. Cadotte and the chief 
of the village addressed a speech. In these speeches, 
after recurring to the designs confessed to have been 
entertained against myself, who was now declared to be 
under the immediate protection of all the chiefs, by 
whom any insult I might sustain would be avenged, 
the ambassadors were peremptorily told, that they 
might go back, as they came, none of the young men of 
this village being foolish enough to join them. 

A moment after, a report was brought, that a canoe 
had just arrived from Niagara. As this was a place 
from which every one was anxious to hear news, a 
message was sent to these fresh strangers, requesting 
tliem to come to the council.^ 



^ The Indian raids on the whole western frontier had been so 
murderous, that the British resolved to attack them in force. 
Bouquet was to be despatched with one army against the Dela- 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 157 

The strangers came accordingly, and being seated,, 
a long silence ensued. At length, one of them, taking 
up a belt of wampum, addressed himself thus to the 
assembly : " My friends and brothers, " I am come, with 
" this belt, from our great father. Sir William Johnson. 
" He desired me to come to you, as his ambassador, and 
" tell you, that he is making a great feast at Fort 
" Niagara ; that his kettles are all ready, and his fires lit. 
" He invites vou to partake of the feast, in common 
" with your friends, the Six IsTations, which have all 
" made peace with the English. He advises you to 
" seize this opportunity of doing the same, as you can- 
" not otherwise fail of being destroyed ; for the English 
" are on their march, with a great army, which will be 
" joined by different nations of Indians. In a word, be- 
" fore the fall of the leaf, they will be at Michilimacki- 
" nac, and the Six ^N'ations with them." 

The tenor of this speech greatly alarmed the Indians 



wares and Shawanoes of the Ohio valley, starting from Fort 
Pitt ; and Bradstreet against the Indians of Detroit and the 
North-west, going by way of the Mohawk Valley, Oswego and 
Lake Ontario. It was determined to punish them until they 
gave an unconditional surrender. Some months previous to 
the setting out of the troops, Sir William Johnson had sent mes- 
sengers to all the tribes warning them of the impending blow 
and urging all who were peacefully disposed, or who inclined to 
the British side, to meet him at Niagara. His name and repu- 
tation were known to all the tribes who had come in contact 
with the whites, and full powers were given him by the British 
Government. Henry's narrative of the reception of Johnson's 
messengers is exceedingly interesting as showing how the in- 
fluence of the British was extending in spite of the temporary 
successes of Pontiac. 



158 TRAVELS, &c. [1764. 

of the Sault, who, after a very short consultation, 
agreed to send twenty deputies to Sir William Johnson, 
at Niagara. This was a project highly interesting to 
me, since it offered me the means of leaving the 
country. I intimated this to the chief of the village, 
and received his promise that I should accompany the 
deputation. 

Very little time was proposed to be lost, in setting 
forward on the voyage; but, the occasion was of too 
much magnitude not to call for more than human 
knowledge and discretion; and preparations were 
accordingly made for solemnly invoking and consulting 
the GREAT TURTLE. 



CHAPTEE XXI. 

Preparations for invoking the Great Turtle. — 
His voice is heard — He is questioned. His replies. 
Voyage to Fort Niagara commenced. 

FOE, invoking and consulting the Great Turtle tlie 
first thing to be done was the building of a large house 
or wig'wam, within which was placed a species of tent, 
for the use of the priest, and reception of the spirit/ 
The tent was formed of moose-skins, hung over a 
frame-work of wood. Five poles, or rather pillars, of 
five different species of timber, about ten feet in height, 
and eight inches in diameter were set in a circle of 
about four feet in diameter. The holes made to re- 
ceive them were about two feet deep; and the pillars 
being set, the holes were filled up again, with the earth 
which had been dug out. At top, the pillars were 
bound together by a circular hoop, or girder. Over the 
whole of this edifice were spread the moose-skins, cover- 



^ Among the guardian spirits of the Ojibwas, the first place 
was occupied by the Tortoise or Turtle. Their mystery or 
medicine men were divided into three classes, the Midi, the 
Jessakkid, and the Wabeno, to the first of which the ofiiciating 
priest belonged. A very minute account of the mysteries and 
secret ceremonies practised by the Ojibwas has been published 
by W. J. Hofi"man in the Annucd Report of the Btireau of 
Ethnology, 1885-6 ; and a careful study of the cults of the Da- 
kotas and Assiniboins, by J. 0. Dorsey, in the same reports 
for 1889-90. 



160 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

ing it at top and round the sides, and made fast with 
thongs of the same ; except that on one side a part was 
left unfastened^ to admit of the entrance of the priest. 
The ceremonies did not commence but with the 
approach of night. To give light within the house, 
several fires were kindled round the tent. Nearly the 
whole village assembled in the house, and myself 
among the rest. It was not long before the priest ap- 
peared, almost in a state of nakedness. As he ap- 
proached the tent the skins were lifted up, as much a? 
was necessary to allow of his creeping under them, on 
his hands and knees. His head was scarcely within 
side, when the edifice, massy as it has been described, 
began to shake; and the skins were no sooner let fall, 
than the sounds of numerous voices were heard beneath 
them; some yelling; some barking as dogs; some 
howling like wolves; and in this horrible concert were 
mingled screams and sobs, as of despair, anguish and 
the sharpest pain. Articulate speech was also uttered, 
as if from human lips : but in a tongue unknown to any 
of the audience. 

After some time, these confused and frightful noises 
were svicceeded by a perfect silence; and now a voice, 
not heard before, seemed to manifest the arrival of a 
new character in the tent. This was a low and feeble 
voice, resembling the cry of a young puppy. The 
fi'ound was no sooner distinguished, than all the Indian^ 
clapped their hands for joy, exclaiming, that this was 
the Chief Spirit, the TURTLE, the spirit that never 
lied! Other voices, which they had discriminated 
from time to time, they had previously hissed, as recog- 
nising them to belong to evil and lying spirits, which 
deceive mankind. 



17(^4.] ADVENTURES. 161 

New sounds came from the tent. During the space 
of half an hour, a succession of songs were heard, in 
which a diversity of voices met the ear. From his first 
entrance, till these songs were finished, we heard noth- 
ing in the proper voice of the priest; but, now, he ad- 
dressed the multitude, declaring the presence of the 
GEEAT TUETLE, and the spirit's readiness to answer 
such questions as should be proposed. 

The questions were to come from the chief of the 
village, who was silent, however, till after he .had put a 
large quantity of tobacco into the tent, introducing- 
it at the aperture. This was a sacrifice, offersd to the 
spirit; for spirits are supposed by the Indians to be as 
fond of tobacco as themselves. The tobacco accepted, 
he desired the priest to inquire, Whether or not the 
En2:lish were preparing to make war upon the Indians? 
and, Whether or not there were at Fort Magara a large 
number of English troops ? 

These Questions having been put by the priest, the 
tent instantly shook; and for some seconds after, it 
continued to rock so violently, that I expected to see it 
levelled with the ground. All this was a prelude, as I 
supposed, to the answers to be given ; but, a terrific cry 
announced, with sufficient intelligibility, the departure 
of the TUETLE. 

A quarter of an hour elapsed in silence, and I waited 
impatiently to discover what was to be the next in- 
cident, in this scene of imposture. It consisted in the 
return of the spirit, whose voice was again heard, and 
who now delivered a continued speech. The language of 
the GEEAT TUETLE, like that which we had heard 
11 



162 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

before, was wholly unintelligible to every ear, that of 
bis priest excepted; and it was, therefore, that not till 
the latter gave us an interpretation, which did not com- 
mence before the spirit had finished, that we learned 
the purport of this extraordinary communication. 

The spirit, as we were now informed by the priest, 
had, during his short absence, crossed Lake Huron, 
and even proceeded iis far as Fort Niagara, which is at 
the head of Lake Ontario, and thence to Montreal. At 
Fort Niagara, he had seen no great number of soldiers; 
but, on descending the Saint Lawrence, as low as 
Montreal, he had found the river covered witJi boats, 
and the boats filled with soldiers, in number like the 
leaves of the irees. He had met them on their way up 
the river, coming to make war upon the Indians. 

The chief had a third question to propose, and the 
spirit, without a fresh journey to Fort Niagara, was 
able to give it an instant and most favourable answer: 
" If," said the chief, " the Indians visit Sir William 
" Johnson, will they be received as friends?" 

" Sir William Johnson," said the spirit (and after the 
spirit, the priest), " Sir William Johnson will till their 
" canoes with presents ; with blankets, kettles, guns, 
" gun-powder and shot, and large barrels of rum, such 
"' as the stoutest of the Indians will not be able to lift ; 
and every man will return in safety to his family." 

At this, the transport was universal; and, amid the 
clapping of hands, a hundred voices exclaimed, " I will 
go, too! I will go, too!" 



^^^^•] ADVENTURES. 163 

' The questions of public interest being resolved, in- 
dividuals vere now permitted to seize tbe opportunity 
of inquiring' into the condition of their absent friends, 
and the fate of such as were sick. I observed that the 
answers, given to these questions, allowed of much 
latitude of interpretation. 

Amid this general inquisitiveness, I yielded to the 
solicitations of my own anxiety for the future; and 
having first, like the rest, made my offering of tobacco, 
I inquired, whether or not I should ever revisit my 
native country? The question being put by the priest, 
the tent shook as usual; after which I received this 
answer: " That I should take courage, and fear no dan- 
" ger, for that nothing would happen to hurt me; and 
" that I should, in the end, reach my friends and 
" country in safety." These assurances wrought so 
strongly on my gratitude, that I presented an addi- 
tional and extra offering of tobacco. 

The GEEAT TUETLE continued to be consulted 
till near midnight, when all the crowd dispersed to 
their respective lodges. I was on the watch, through 
the scene I have described, to detect the particular 
contrivances by which the fraud was carried on; but, 
such was the skill displayed in the performance, or 
such my deficiency of penetration, that I made no dis- 
coveries, but came away as I went, with no more than 
those general surmises which will naturally be enter- 
tained by every reader.* 

* M. de Champlain has left an account of an exhibition of 
the nature here described, which may be seen in Charlevoix's 
Histoire et Description Generale de la Nouvelle France, livre 



164 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

On the lOtli of June, I embarked with the Indian 
deputation, composed of sixteen men. Twenty had 
been the number originally designed; and upward of 
fifty actually engaged themselves to the council for the 
undertaking; to say nothing of the general enthusiasm, 
at the moment of hearing the GEEAT TUKTLE'S 
promises. But, exclusively of the degree of timidity 
which still prevailed, we are to take into account the 
various domestic calls, which might supersede all 
others, and detain many with their families. 



IV. This took place in the year 1609, and was performed 
among a party of warriors, composed of Algonquins, Montag- 
nez and Hurons. Carver witnessed another, among the 
Cristinaux. In each case, the details are somewhat different, 
but the outline is the same. M. de Champlain mentions, that 
he saw the jongleur shake the stakes or pillars of the tent. I 
was not so fortunate ; but this is the obvious explanation of 
that part of the mystery to which it refers. Captain Carver 
leaves the whole in darkness. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 

Voyage from the Sault cle Sainte-Marie to Niagara. 
Hospitable reception from the Missisaldes. Aiithor 
alarmed by a Rattle-snake — and is about to kill 
it. Indians interfere — declare it to be a Manito 
— treat it accordingly. Inoffensive demeanour of 
the Rattlesnake. Indians apprehend some evil 
from the Authors crime against the Manito. 
Overtaken by a gale of wind. Prayers and 
Sacrifices to the Rattle-snake. Arrive at Fort 
Niagara. 

TE tlie evening of tlie second day of our voyage, we 
reached the mouth of the Missisaki, where we found 
about f ortv Indians, by whom we were received with 
abundant kindness, and at night regaled at a great 
feast, held on account of our arrival. The viand was a 
preparation of the roe of the sturgeon, beat up, and 
boiled, and of the consistence of porridge. 

After eating, several speeches were made to us, of 
which the general topic was a request, that we should 
recommend the village to Sir William Johnson. This 
request was also specially addressed to me, and I pro- 
mised to comply with it. 

On the 14th of June, we passed the village of La 
Cloche, of which the greater part of the inhabitants 
were absent, being already on a visit to Sir William 
Johnson. This circmnstance greatly encouraged the 



166 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

companions of my voyage, who now saw that they 
were not the first to run into danger. 

The next day, about noon, the wind blowim; very 
hard, we were obliged to put ashore at Point aux Gron- 
dines, a place of which some description has been given 
above/ While the Indians erected a hut, I employed 
myself in making a fire. As I was gathering wood, an 
unusual sound fijced my attention for a moment; but, as 
it presently ceased, and as I saw nothing from .which I 
could suppose it to proceed, I continued my employ- 
ment, till, advancing further, I was alarmed by a repe- 
tition. I imagined that it came from above my head; 
but, after looking that way in vain, I cast my eyes on 
the ground, and there discovered a rattle-snake, at not 
more than two feet from my naked legs. The reptile 
was coiled, and its head raised considerably above its 
body. Had I advanced another step before my dis- 
covery, I must have trodden upon it. 

I no sooner saw the snake, than I hastened to the 
canoe, in order to procure my gun; but, the Indians 
observing what I was doing, inquired the occasion, and 
being informed, begged me to desist. At the same time 
they followed me to the spot, with their pipes and 
tobacco-pouches in their hands. On returning, I found 
the snake still coiled. 

The Indians, on their part, surrounded it, all address- 
ing it by turns, and calling it their grandfather; but 
yet keeping at some distance. Dui'ing this part of the 
ceremony, they filled their pipes; and now each blew 

^ Ante, page 33. 



1^64.] ADVENTURES. 167 

tlie smoke toward the snake, who, as it appeared to me, 
really received it with pleasure. In a word, after re- 
maming coiled, and receiving incense, for the space of 
half an hour, it stretched itself along the ground, in 
visible good humour. Its length was between four and 
five feet. Having remained outstretched for some 
time, at last it moved slowly away, the Indians follow- 
ing it, and still addressing it by the title of grand- 
father, beseeching it to take care of their families 
during their absence, and to be pleased to open the 
heart of Sir William Johnson, so that he might show 
them charity, and fill their canoe with rum. 

One of the chiefs added a petition, that the snake 
would lake no notice of the insult which had been 
offered him by the Englishman, who would even 
have put him to death, but for the interference of 
the Indians, to whom it was hoped he would impute 
no part of the offence. They further requested, that 
he would remain, and inhabit their country, and not 
return among the English ; that is, go eastward.^ 

After the rattle-snake was gone, I learned that 



- The reverence paid by the Ojibwa to the rattle-snake, as 
grandfather and king of snakes, is evidently a survival of ser- 
pent worship common to all undeveloped races. All the Indian 
tribes preserved some form of it, and among the Dakotas and 
Shawanoes, the same word was used for snake and spirit. The 
strange snake dances of the Zuni have recently been examined 
by scientific observers from the Smithsonian Institute. Those 
interested in the subject will find references in Tylor's Primitive 
Oiiltnre, vol. 2, 1873 ; Fergusson's Tree and Serpent Worship, 
1868. Brinton's Myths of the New World, 1876 ; Guhernatiis' 
Zoologiccd Mythology, 1874. 



168 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

this was the first time that an individual of the 
species had been seen so far to the northward and 
westward of the river Des Fiaiicais ;' a circuiiistance, 
moreover, from which my companions were dis- 
posed to infer, that this manito had come, or been 
sent, on pm-pose to meet them; that his errand had 
been no other than to stop them on their way; and 
that consequently it would be most advisable to re- 
tui-n to the point of departure. I was so fortunate, 
however, as to prevail with them to embark.; and at 
six o'clock in the evening we again encamped. 
Very little was spoken of through the evening, the 
rattle-snake excepted. 

Early the next morning we proceeded. We had a 
serene sky and very little wind, and the Indians 
therefore determined on steering across the lake, to 
an island which just appeared in the horizon; saving, 
by this course, a distance of thirty miles, which would 
be lost in keeping the shore.* At nine o'clock, A.M. 



^I am informed by Dr. Brodie, that there is no evidence of 
the existence of rattle-snakes at Point aux Grondines, but that 
specimens have been secured from the mouth of the French 
river and from various points on Manitoulin Island, all of 
which are within twenty miles of the place where Henry was 
camped. The true rattle-snake Crotalns horrichis, is unknown 
in Canada, the variety found is the Caudisona tirguemina. 

*Mr. W. J. Stewart, of the Canadian Hydrographic Survey, 
informs me that a direct line from Point aux Grondines to Mat- 
chedash Bay measures 92 miles, whilst the passage inside of the 
outer islands would not be more than 105 miles. By the direct 
course the traveller would never be more than 11 miles from 
shore, almost always less than 5 miles. Lonely island is just 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 169 

we had a light breeze astern, to enjoy the benefit of 
which we hoisted sail. Soon after, the wind in- 
creased, and the Indians, beginning to be alarmed, 
frequently called on the rattle-snake to come to their 
assistance. By degrees the waves grew high; and at 
11 o'clock it blew a hurricane, and we expected every 
moment to be swallowed up. Erom prayers, the In- 
dians now proceeded to sacrifices, both alike offered 
to the god-rattlesnake, or manito-kinihic.^ One of 
the chiefs took a dog, and after tying its fore legs 
together, threw it overboard, at the same time calling 
on the snake to preserve us from being drowned, and 
desiring him to satisfy his himger with the carcass of 
the dog. The snake was unpropitious, and the wind 
increased. Another chief sacrificed another dog, with 
the addition of some tobacco. In the prayer which 
accompanied these gifts, he besought the snake, as 
before, not to avenge upon the Indians the insult 
which he had received from myself, in the conception 
of a design to put him to death. He assured the 
snake, that I was absolutely an Englishman, and of 
kin neither to him nor to them. 

At the conclusion of this speech, an Indian, who 
sat near me, observed, that if we were drowned it 
would be for my fault alone, and that I ought myself 



visible from Point aux Glrondines, but it is a long way out of the 
course. It is probable that the island to which they directed 
their course was one of the many thousands which fringe the 
shore of the Georgian Bay. 

^ Manito, spirit ; Ginebig, snake ; Baraga. Muhnedoo, spirit ; 
Kinabig, snake ; Wilson. 



170 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

to be sacrificed, to appease the angry manito; nor was 
I without apprehensions, that in case of extremity, 
this would be my fate; but, happily for me, the storm 
&t length abated, and we reached the island safely. 

The next day was calm, and we arrived at the en- 
trance* of the navigation'' which leads to Lake aux 
Claies.f We presently passed two short canying- 
places, at each of which were several lodges of In- 
dians,lil containing only women and children, the men 

* This is the Bay of Matchedash, or Matchitashk. 

t This lake, which is now called Lake Simcoe, lies between 
Lakes Huron and Ontario. 

\ These Indians are Chipeways, of the particular description 
called Missisakies ; and from their residence at Matchedash, or 
Matchitashk, also called Matchedash or Matchitashk Indians. 



^ The route from Matchedash Bay is by the Severn river, 
which is about twenty miles long, through which the waters of 
Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching are discharged into Lake Huron. 
Laurence Oliphant, in his Minnesota and the Far West, 1885, 
p. 50, gives a graphic picture of the passage down. Lake 
Couchiching, M'hich lies between the entrance to the Severn 
and the north end of Lake Simcoe, is thirteen miles long 
and Lake Simcoe about twenty-seven miles. In the early 
French maps it is called the Lac de Taranto and the Taranto 
portage was said to commence at Matchedash Bay. This name 
was gradually transferred to the southern part of the portage 
and finally to the shore of Lake Ontario. The name, aux Claie.i, 
was derived from the hurdles or stakes used in the construction 
of fish traps in the shallow portions of the lake. Champlain, in 
the journey of 1615, first described them. "This is done by 
means of a large number of stakes which almost close the strait, 
only some little opening being left where they place nets, in 
which the fish are caught." 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 171 

being gone to tlie council at i^iagara. From this, 
as from a former instance, my companions derived 
new courage. 

On the 18th of June, we crossed Lake aux Claies, 
which appeared to be upward of twenty miles in 
length. At its further end, we came to the carrying- 
place of Toranto. * Here the Indians obliged me to 
carry a burden of more than a hundred pounds 
weight. The day was very hot, and the woods and 
marshes abounded with mosquitoes; but, the Indians 
walked at a quick pace, and I could by no means see 
myself left behind. The whole country was a thick 
forest, through which our only road was a foot-path, 
or such as, in America, is exclusively termed an In- 
, dian pathJ 

ISText morning, at ten o'clock, we reached the shore 
of Lake Ontario. Here we were employed two days in 

* Toranto, or Toronto, is the name of a French trading- 
house, on Lake Ontario, built near the site of the present town 
of York, the capital of the province of Upper Canada. 

^ This portage commenced at the termination of navigable 
water in the Holland river, which flows into the southern end 
of Lake Simcoe, and was a well-known trail between the upper 
lakes and Lake Ontario, not far from the present line of Yonge 
street. It is laid down on a map in the Depot de la Marine, Paris, 
of not later date than 1679, with these words, " Le Cheminpar 
ou les Iroquois vont aux Outaouais qu, ils avaient mene trafiqeur 
k la Nouvelle-HoUand si le fort Frontenac n'eut este basti sur 
leur route." The southern termination is at the mouth of the 
Humber river, near the site of the French trading post, Fort 
Rouille which was abandoned in 1759. A monument in the 
western portion of the city of Toronto marks its site. 



172 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

making canoes, out of tlie bark of the elm-tree, iu 
which we were to transport ourselves to Niagara. For 
tliis purpose, the Indians first cut down a tree; then 
stripped oS the bark, in one entire sheet, of about 
eighteen feet in length, the incision being length- 
wise. The canoe was now complete, as to its top, 
bottom and sides. Its ends were next closed, by sew- 
ing the bark together; and a few ribs and bars being 
introduced, the architecture was finished. In this 
manner, we made two canoes; of which one carried 
eight men, and the other, nine. 

On the 21st, we embarked at Toranto, and en- 
camped, in the evening, four miles short of Fort 
Niagara, which the Indians wovild not approach till 
morning. 

At dawn, the Indians were awake, and presently 
assembled in council, still doubtful as to the fate they 
were to encounter. I assured them of the most 
friendly welcome; and at length, after painting them- 
selves w^ith the most lively colours, in token of their 
own peaceable views, and after singing the song wliich 
is in use among them on going into danger, they em- 
barked, and made for Point Missisaki,** which is on the 
north side of the mouth of the river or strait of 
Niagara, as the fort is on the south. A few minutes 
after, I crossed over to the fort; and here I was re- 
ceived by Sir William Johnson, in a manner for which 

* Point Mississaga is on the western side of the river, and 
Fort Niagara on the eastern. The course of the Niagara 
river is nearly north, so that it is not easy to see how Henry 
calls them north and south. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 173 

I have ever been gratefully attaclied to his person, 
and memory.^ 

Thus was completed my escape, from the sufferings 



^ Sir William Johnson exercised a wonderful influence over 
the Six Nations and Indian tribes to the West, and seems to 
have inspired confidence and friendship in all Englishmen who 
came in contact with him. He writes to the Lords of Trade, 
London, under date, August 30th, 1764, "In my last of the 11th 
of May, I had the honour of acquainting your Lordpps with the 
success of my Indian partys, and my transactions from January 
to that period, as also, of my then intended journey to Niagara, 
to receive the submission of, and enter into an alliance with the 
Western Nations, who had requested peace. Accordingly I set 
out last June, and arrived at Niagara the 8th of July, where I 
found some of the Western Nations already assembled. At the 
same ime Coll: Bradstreet arrived with the army under his 
Command, to accompany which I had brought upwards of six 
hundred of the Friend Indians. By the 25th I had Deputys from 
almost every nation to the Westward, viz., Hurons, Ottawaes, 
Chippawaes, Meynomineys or Follesavoins, Foxes, Sakis, Puans, 
ettc, with some from the North side of Lake Superior and the 
neighbourhood of Hudson's Bay, but it was not till some days 
after that, the Senecas came in, a report having prevailed among 
them that the English intended to cut them off. This delay of 
theirs, which at first we were at a loss to account for, rendered 
it impolitic for the Troops to move, and leave the carrying place 
exposed, until we had settled matters with them; the whole 
number of the Indians amounted to 2,060, of which 1,700 were 
fighting men, a greater number than ever assembled in one 
body on the like, or any other occasion." Among the conditions 
of the peace were "their agreeing to the re-establishment of 
Michilimackinac and promising to get all prisoners out of the 
enemy's hands, as also to procure some restitution for the 
Traders' losses." See Stone's Life of Sir William Johnson, 
2 vols., 1865 ; and Documents relating to the Colonial History of 
New York, vol. 7. 



174 TRAVELS, &c. [A.D. 

and dangers wliich the capture of Fort Michili- 
mackinac brought upon me; but, the property which 
I had carried into the upper country was left behind. 
The reader will therefore be far from attributing to 
me any idle or unaccountable motive, when he finds 
me returning to the scene of my misfortunes. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Ar^ny, under General Bradstreet, 'prepareti to raise 
the Siege of Detroit. Author induced to join, and 
set out, a second time, for MichiliniacJcinac — 
appointed to the command of an Indian Corps. 
Siege of Detroit raised. General Peace with the 
Indians. Detachment garrisons Fort Michili- 
mackinac. Author visits the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie — returns to Michili'niacJcinac. 

AT Fort jSTiagara, I found General Bradstreet, with 
a force of three thousand men, preparing to embark 
for Detroit, with a view to raise the siege which it had 
sustained against Pontiac, for twelve months together. 
The English, in this time, had lost many men; and 
Pontiac had been frequently on the point of carrying 
the place, though gallantly defended by Major 
Gladwyn, its commandant. 

General Bradstreet, having learned my history, in- 
formed me, that it was his design, on arriving at 
Detroit, to detach a body of troops to Michilimackinac, 
and politely assured me of his services, in recovering 
my property there. With these temptations before 
me, I was easily induced to follow the general to 
Detroit. 

But, I was not to go as a mere looker-on. On tbe 
contrary, I was invested with the honour of a com- 
mand in a corps, of the exploits, however, of which, I 
can give no very flattering account. 



176 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Befrides the sixteen Saulteurs, or Ciiipeways of the 
Sault de Sainte-Marie, with whom I had come to Fort 
Kiagara, there were ah'eady at that place eighty 
Matchedash Indians, the same whose lodges we passed, 
at the carrying-places of Lake aux Claies. These 
ninety-six men being formed into what was called the 
Indian Battalion, were furnished with necessaries; and 
I was appointed to be their leader — me, whose best 
hope it had very lately been, to live through their 
forbearance 

On the 10th of July, the army marched for Fort 
Schlausser/ a stockaded post above the Great Falls; and 
I ordered my Indians to march also. Only ten, of the 
whole number, were ready at the call; but the rest pro- 
mised to follow the next morning. With my skeleton- 
battalion, therefore, I proceeded to the fort, and there 
waited the whole of the next day, impatiently ex- 
pecting the ren^ainder. I waited in vain; and the day 
following returned to Fort Magara, when I found that 
they had all deserted, going back to their homes, 
equipments and all, by the way of Toranto. I thought 
their conduct, though dishonest, not very extra- 
ordinary; since the Indians employed in the seige of 



^ Fort Schlosser was built by the British in 1759 to command 
the upper end of the portage round the Falls of Nia,s;ara. It 
stood immediately above the rapids, on what is now the Ameri- 
can side, at the nearest point to the Falls where the current 
permitted boats to be brought. The fort was named after Cap- 
tain Joseph Schlosser, a native of Germany, who served in the 
British army against Fort Niagara, 1759. Both Loskiel and 
Heckewelder speak highly of him. The fort was destroyed by 
the Canadian militia during the war of 1813. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 177 

Detroit, against wlioin we were leading them, were at 
peace witli their nation, and their own friends and kins- 
men. — Amid the general desertion, four Missisakies 
joined the ten whom I had left at Fort Schlausser. 

Eor the transport of the army, on Lake Erie, barges 
had been expressly biiilt, capable of carrying a hundred 
men each, with their provisions. One of these was 
allowed to me and my Indians. 

On the 14th, we embarked at JB ort Schlausser, and 
in the evening encamped at Eort Erie. Here the In- 
dians growing drunk, amused themselves with a dis- 
orderly firing of their muskets, in the camp. On this, 
General Bradstreet ordered all the rum in the Indian 
quarters to be seized, and thrown away. The Indians, 
in consequence threatened to desert; and the general, 
judging it proper to assume a high tone, immediately 
assembled the chiefs (for, among the fourteen Indians, 
there were more chiefs than one), and told them, that 
he had no further occasion for their services, and that 
such of them as should follow his camp, would be con- 
sidered as soldiers, and subjected to military discipline 
accordingly. After hearing the general's speech, the 
majority set out for Eort Niagara, the same evening, 
and thence returned to their own country, by the way 
of Toranto ; and thus was my poor battalion still further 
diminished ! 

On our fifth day from Eort Schlausser, we reached 

Presqu'isle, where we dragged our barges over the neck 

of land, but not without straining their timbers; and 

with more loss of time, as I believe, than if we had 

rowed round. On the twentieth day, we were off the 
12 



178 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

mouth of the river which falls into Sandusky Bay, 
where a council of war was held, on the question, 
whether it were more advisable to attack and destroy 
the Indian villages, on the Miami, or to proceed for 
Detroit direct. Early the next morning, it having been 
determined, that considering the villages were popu- 
lous, as well as hostile, it was necessary to destroy them, 
we entered the Miami; but were presently met by a 
deputation, offering peace. The offer was accepted; 
but it was not till after two days, during which we had 
begun to be doubtful of the enemy's intention, that the 
chiefs arrived. When they came, a sort of armistice 
was agreed upon; and they promised to meet the 
general at Detroit, within fifteen days. At that place, 
terms of peace were to be settled, in a general council.' 
On the 8th of August we landed at Detroit. 

The Indians of the Miami were punctual; and a 

- Henry passes lightly over a piece of folly on the part of 
Bradstreet. The deputation of Shawanoes and Delawares who 
met them here, produced no evidence of their being authorized 
to treat, and as it turned out were only a band of warriors, 
whose object was to retard the advance of Bradstreet's army. 
These tribes had sent an insolent reply to Johnson's invitation 
to the meeting at Niagara and were guilty of innumerable mur- 
ders and cruelties. It had been determined to punish them 
severely. Bradstreet fell into the trap, signed a preliminary 
treaty and crowned all by writing to his superior officer, Colonel 
Bouquet, who was advancing into the heart of the enemy's 
country, informing him that he had made a peace. The power 
of treaty was only possessed by Sir William Johnson and both 
Bouquet and he were very indignant. The Commander-in- 
chief wrote to Bradstreet in very strong terms, annulling and 
-disavowing the peace. 



1764.] ADVENTURES. 179 

general peace was conckidecl. Pontiac, who could do 
notMng against tlie force which was now opposed to 
him, and who saw himself abandoned by his followers, 
"unwilling to trust his fortunes with the English, fled to 
the Illinois.* 

On the day following that of the treaty of peace, 
Captain Howard was detached, with two companies, 
and three hundred Canadian volunteers, for Fort 
Michilimackinac ; and I embarked at the same time. 

Trom Detroit, to the mouth of Lake Huron, is called 
a distance of eighty miles. From the fort to Lake 
Sainte-Claire, which is only seven miles, the lands are 

* It is very possible, nevertheless, that Pontiac subsequently 
joined the English, and that a portion of what is related by 
Carver, concerning his latter history and death, is true. It 
cannot, however, be intended to insinuate that an English 
governor was party to the assassination : 

"Pontiac henceforward seemed to have laid aside the 
"animosity he had hitherto born towards the English, and 
"apparently became their zealous friend. To reward this new 
"attachment, and to insure a continuance of it, government 
"allowed him a handsome pension. But his restless and 
' ' intriguing spirit would not suffer him to be grateful for this 
' ' allowance, and his conduct at length grew suspicious ; so that 
"going, in the year 1767, to hold a council in the country of 
"the Illinois, a faithful Indian, who was either commissioned 
"by one of the English governors, or instigated by the love he 
"bore the English nation, attended him as a spy; and being 
"convinced from the speech Pontiac made in the council, that 
" he still retained his former prejudices against those for whom 
" he now professed a friendship, he plunged his knife into his 
" heart, as soon as he had done speaking, and laid him dead on 
" the spot." 



180 TRAVELS, &c. [1764 

cultivated on both sides the strait, and appeared to be 
laid out in very comfortable farms. In the strait, on 
the right hand, is a village of Hurons, and at the mouth 
of Lake Saint-Claire, a village of Otawas.^' We met 
not a single Indian on our voyage, the report of the 
arrival of the English army having driven every one 
from the shores of the lake. 

On our arrival at Michilimackinac, the Otawas of 
L'Arbre Croche were sent for to the fort. They 
obeyed the summons, bringing with them some Chipe- 
way chiefs, and peace was concluded with both. 

I'or myself, having much property due to me at 
Sainte-Marie's, I resolved on spending the winter at 
that place. I was in part successful; and in the spring 
I returned to Michilimackinac. 

THE pause, which I shall here make in my narra- 
tive might with some propriety have been placed at the 
conclusion of the preceding chapter; but, it is liere 
that my first series of adventures are brought truly to 
an end. What remains, belongs to a second enterprize, 
wholly independent on the preceding. 



2 Both of these villages appear on Bellin's map of Dps Lacs d>i 
Canada, 1744, included in Charlevoix's Journal, vol. 5, p. 108. 



END OF PART THE FIRST. 



PART THE SECOND 



TRAVELS 

AND ADVENTUEES, 

&c. &c. 

PART THE SECOND. 



CHAPTEK I. 

Fur-trade permitted only to licensed and privileged 
persons. Author obtains the exclusive trade of 
Lake Superior. Further comTYiercial details of 
MichiliTYiackinac. Author proceeds to the Sault 
de Sainte-Marie — embarks for his Wintering- 
ground at Chagoue'fnig. Grave of the Iroquois 
— tradition. River Ontonagan — Sturgeon-fish- 
ery — and Copper. Indians beat the Copper 
into Spoons, Bracelets, &c. Chagouemig — dis- 
tressed state of Indians there. Indians supplied — 
go to the chase. 

UjSTDEE. the Erencli government of Canada, the fnr- 
trade was subject to a variety of regulations, establish- 
ed and enforced by the royal authority; and, in 1765, 
the period at which I began to prosecute it anew, some 
remains of the ancient system were still preserved, No 
person could go into the countries lying north-west- 
ward of Detroit, unless furnished with a license; and 



184 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

the exclusive trade of particular districts was capable 
of being enjoyed, in virtue of grants from military 
commanders. 

The exclusive trade of Lake Superior was given to 
myself, by the connnandant of Fort Michilimackinac; 
and to profc-ecute it, I purchased goods, which I found 
at this post, at twelve months' credit. My stock was 
the freight of four cances, and I took it at the price of 
ten thousand pounds weight of good and merchant- 
able beaver. It is in beaver that accounts are kept at 
Michilimackinac ; but in defect of this article, other 
furs and skins are accepted in payments, being first re- 
duced unto their value in beaver. Beaver was at this 
time at the price of two shillings and six pence per 
pound, Michilimackinac-currencv; otter skins, at six 
shillings each; marten, at one shilling and six pence, 
and others in proportion. 

To carry the goods to my wintering-ground in Lake 
Superior, I engaged twelve men, at two hundred and 
fiftv livres, of the same currency, each; that is, a hun- 
dred pounds weight of beaver. For provisions, I pur- 
chased fifty bushels of maize, at ten pounds of beaver 
per bushel. At this i^lace, specie was so wholly out of 
the question, that is going to a cantine,' you took with 
you a marten's skin, to pav your reckoning.* 

On the 14th of July, 1765, I embarked for the Sault 
de Sainte-Marie, where, on my arrival, I took into 
partnership M. Cadotte, whom I have already had 

*See Part I., Chapter 5. 

^ Canteen belonging to the garrison. 



1765.] ADVENTURES. 185 

frequent occasion to name; and on the 26th I proceeded 
for mj wintering-ground, which was to be fixed at 
Chagouemig. 

The next morning, I crossed the Strait of Sainte- 
Marie, or of Lake Superior, to a point, which, the 
Chipeways call the Grave of the Iroquois.- To this 
name there belongs a tradition, that the Iroquois, who, 
at a certain time, made war upon the Chipeways, with 
the design of dispossessing them of their country, 
encamped, one night, a thousand strong, upon this 
point; where, thinking themselves secure from their 
numbers, they indulg:ed in feasting on the bodies of 
their prisoners. The sight, however, of the sufferings 
and humiliation of their kindred and friends, so 
wrought upon the Chipeways, who beheld them from 

On the south side of Lake Superior, about fifteen miles 
west of Sault Ste. Marie, in the present county of Chippewa, 
Michigan. The name Iroquois has adhered to this locality 
under the different descriptions of Cape, Mountain or Point, by 
which latter it is now known. Schoolcraft gives the Indian 
name as Na-do-wa-we-gon-ing, the place of Iroquois bones. 
It marks the site of a severe defeat which the Iroquois received 
in 1662, from the Ojibwa, assisted by some Ottawas, Nipis- 
sings and Amikouets. A party of about one hundred Iroquois 
had pushed forward to the shores of Lake Superior and en- 
camped on this point. A night attack was made on them 
by the allies. The arrows was showered upon the Iroquois 
so rapidly that they were overpowered and were tomahawked 
within their wigwams. The Iroquois were at this time at 
the height of their power, so that this reverse to their 
mortal enemies was welcome tidings to the French. See, 
Jesuit Relation, 1663 ; Perrot's Memoire, edited by Pere 
Tailhan, Leipzic, 1864 ; Schoolcraft's Thirty Years with 
Indian Tribes, p. 112, Philadelphia, 1851. 



186 TRAVELS AND \ [AD. 

the opposite shore, that with the lar^-est number of 
warriors they could collect, but which amounted only 
to three hundred, they xrossed the channel, and at 
break of day fell upon the Iroquois, now sleeping- after 
their excesses, and put one and all to death. Of their 
own party, they lost but a sini?;le man; and he died of a 
wound which he received from an old woman, who 
stabbed him with an awl. She was at work, making; 
shoes for the family, when he broke into the lodg'e, near 
the entrance of which she sat. — Some of the' old men 
of my crew remembered at this place to have seen 
bones. 

On the lake, we fell in with Indians, of whom I pur- 
chased provisions. One party agreed to accompany 
me, to hunt for me, on condition of being supplied 
with necessaries on credit. 

On the 19th of August, we reached the mouth of 
the river Ontonagan,'' one of the largest on the south 
side of the lake. At the mouth, was an Indian village; 
and at three leagues above, a fall, at the foot of which 
sturgeon were at this season so abundant, that a 
month's subsistence for a regiment could have been 
taken in a few hours. 

But, I found this river chiefly remarkable for the 
abundance of virgin copper,* which is on its banks and 



^ The city, river and county in Michigan have preserved 
this name under the slightly altered form of Ontonagon. 
Earlier forms of the name are Nantaouagaw, Ontonagun. 

* The abundance of detached and water-worn lumps of virgin 
copper was first noted in the Relation of 1659-60. They 
were found not only in the immediate vicinity of the mines 
but over a considerable area to the southward. 



1765.] ADVENTURES. 187 

in its neighborliood, and of which the reputation is at 
present more srenerally spread, than it was at the time 
of this my first visit. The attempts, which were shortly 
after made, to work the mines of Lake Superior to 
advantag:e, will very soon claim a place, among the 
facts which I am to describe. 

The copper presented itself to the eye, in masses of 
various weight. The Indians showed me one of twenty 
pounds. They were used to manufacture this metal in- 
to spoons and bracelets for themselves. In the perfect 
state in which they found it, it required nothing but to 
be beat into shape. The Pi-wa-tic, or Iron-river," enters 
the lake to the westward of the Ontonagan; and here, 
as is pretended, silver was found, while the country 
was in the possession of the French. 

Beyond this river, I met more Indians, whom I fur- 
nished with merchandise on credit. The prices were 
for a Stroud blanket, ten beaver-skins; for a white 
blanket, eight; a pound of powder, two; a pound of 
shot, or of ball, one; a gun, twenty; an axe, of one 
pound weight, two; a knife, one. — Beaver, it will be 
remembered, was w^orth, at Michilimackinac, two 
shillings and sixpence a pound, in the currency of that 
place ; that is, six livres, or a dollar. 

On my arrival at Chagouemig," I found fifty lodges 



5 The river is still known by this name, but the Indian 
name, Pi-wd-tic, seems to be abandoned. 

6 This bay is now known as Chequamegon. It partially 
divides Bayfield from Ashland County, Wisconsin. From 
the earliest time, it appears to have oeen a gathering- place of 
the Indians. 



188 TRAVELS, &c. [1765. 

of Indians there. These people were almost naked, 
their trade having betn interrupted, first by the Eng- 
lish invasion of Canada, and next by Pontiac's war. 

Adding the Indians of Chagouemig to those which 
I had brought with me, I had now a hundred families, 
to all of whom I was required to advance goods on 
credit. At a council, which I was invited to attend, 
the men declared, that unless their demands were com- 
plied with, their wives and children would perish; for 
that there were neither ammunition nor clothing left 
among them. Under these circumstances, I saw my- 
self obliged to distribute goods, to the amount of three 
thousand beaver-skins. This done, the Indians went 
on their hunt, at the distance of a hundred leagues. A 
clerk, acting as my agent, accompanied them to Fond 
du Lac/ taking with him two loaded canoes, Mean- 
while, at the expense of six days' labour, I was pro- 
vided with a very comfortable house, for my winter's 
residence. 



Generally speaking, this corresponds with the present City 
of Duluth, Minnesota, though a railway junction, a few miles 
south-west of the city and near the head of the bay, retains 
the name Fond du Lac. 



CHAPTEE n. 

Ghagouemig. Hunt Feast of Sacrifice to the 
Great Spirit — motives — and mode. Ludicrous 
incident. Comment of the Indians. Chipeway 
Ca'mpaign against the Nadowessies. Scalping 
thejcilled in battle esteeTned honourable to the 
Nation to whom they belong. Author leaves 
Chagouemig — further explores the Banks of the 
Ontonagan. 

CHAGOUEMIGj or Cliagouemigon, miglit at tliis 
period be regarded as the metropolis of the Chipe- 
ways, of whom the true name is O^chibbuoy. The 
chiefs informed me, that they had frequently attacked 
the JSTadowessies, (by the French called Sioux or 
Nadouessioux), with whom they are always at war. 
with fifteen hundred men, including in this number the 
fighting-men from Fond du Lac^ or the head of Lake 
Superior. The cause of the perpetual war, carried on 
between these two nations, is this, that both claim, as 
their exclusive hunting-ground, the tract of country 
which lies between them, and uniformly attack each 
other when they meet upon it. 

The Chipeways of Chagouemig are a handsome well- 
made people ; and much more cleanly, as well as much 
more regular in the irovemment of their families, than 
the Chipeways of Lake Huron. The women have 
agreeable features, and take great pains in dressing 



190 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

their hair, which consists in neatly dividing it on the 
forehead and top of the head, and in plaiting and turn- 
ing it up behind. The men paint as well their whole 
body as their face ; sometimes with charcoal, and some- 
times with white ochre; and appear to study how to 
make themselves as unlike as possible to anything 
human. The clothing, in which I found them, both 
men and women, was chiefly of dressed deer-skin, 
European manufactures having been for some time out 
of their reach. In this respect, it was not long, after 
my goods were dispersed among them, before they 
were scarcely to be known, for the same people. The 
women heightened the colour of their cheeks, and 
really animated their beauty, by a liberal use of ver- 
milion. 

My house being completed, my winter's food was the 
next object; and for this purpose, with the assistance of 
my men, I soon took two thousand trout and white- 
fish, the former frequently weighing fifty pounds each, 
and the latter commonly from four to six. We pre- 
served them by suspending them by the tail in the open 
air. These, without bread or salt, were our food 
thrcjugh all the winter; the men being free to con- 
sume what quantity they pleased, and boiling or roast- 
ing them whenever they thought proper. After 
leaving Michilimackinac. 1 saw no bread; and I found 
less difficultv, in reconciling myself to the privation, 
than I could have anticipated. 

On the 15th of December, the Bay of Chagouemig 
was frozen entirely over. After thisj I resumed my 
former amusement of spearing trout, and sometimes 
caught a hundred of these fish in a day, each weighing, 
on an average, twenty pounds. 



1765.] ADVENTURES. 191 

My Jaoiise, wbicli stood in tlie bay, was slielterecl by 
an island of fifteen miles in length/ and between which 
and the main the channel is four miles broad. On 
the island, there was formerly a French trading-post, 
much frequented^ ; and in its neighbourhood a large 
Indian village. To the south-east is a lake, called Lake 
des Outaouais, from the Otawas, its former possessors; 
but it is now the property of the Chipeways. 

From the first hunting-party which brought me furs. 
I experienced some disorderly behaviour; but happily 
without serious issue. Having crowded into my house, 
and demanded rum, which I refused them, they talk- 
ed of indulging themselves in a general pillage, and I 
found myself abandoned by all my men. Fortunately, 
I was able to arm myself; and on my threatening to 

1 La Pointe or Madeline Island is about two miles from the 
mainland and three from Bayfield, Wisconsin. A large party 
of the Ojibwa, after many migrations had settled upon the 
western end of the island, forming a large town, many years 
before their discovery by the French. They gave to it the 
name Mo-ning-wun-a-kawn-ing. Warren who was a native 
of the place, has given the fullest particulars in his History 
of the Ojibioays, Minnesota Hist. Society, Vol, 5. 

2 The one long called La Pointe. At this post the Jesuit 
Mission of St. Esprit was established and the peninsula 
appears upon the maps as La Pointe du St. Esprit. The 
Indian village in its vicinity was first visited by some coureurs 
des bois, trading for furs, and the first definite written account 
is by Father Allouez, who arrived in 1665 and remained for 
some time. In Delisle's map of 1745 a French trading house 
is indicated at the head of the bay. See Jesuit Relations 
1666 and 1667, Perrot's Memoire and Warren's History of the 
Ojibways. 



192 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

shoot the first who should lay his hands on anything, 
the tumult began to subside, and was presently after 
at an end. When over, my men appeared to be truly 
ashamed of their cowardice, and made promises never 
to behave in a similar manner again. 

Admonished of my danger, I now resolved on bury- 
ing the liquor which I had ; and the Indians, once per- 
suaded that I had none to give them, went and came 
very peaceably, paying their debts and purchasing 
goods. In the month of March, the manufacture of 
maple-sugar engaged as usual their attention. 

While the snow still lay on the ground, I proposed to 
the Indians to join me in a hunting excursion, and they 
readily agreed. Shortly after we went out, my com- 
panions discovered dents or hollows in the snow, which 
they affirmed to be the footsteps of a bear, made in the 
beginning of the winter, after the first snow. — As for 
me, I should have passed over the same ground with- 
out acquiring any such information; and probably 
without remarking the very faint traces which they 
were able to distinguish, and certainly without deduc- 
ing so many particular facts: but, what can be more 
credible, than that long habits of close observation in 
the forest, should give the Indian hunter some advan- 
tages, in the exercise of his daily calling? The Indians 
were not deceived; for, on following the traces which 
they had foimd, they were led to a tree, at the root of 
which was a bear. 

As I had proposed this hunt, I was, by the Indian 
custom, the master and the proprietor of all the game; 
but, the head of the family which composed my party 



1765.] ADVENTURES. 193 

beg-2:ed to have the bear, alleging, that he much desired 
to make a feast to the Kichi Manito, or Great Spirit, 
who had preserved himself and his family through the 
winter, and brought them in safety to the lake. On his 
receiving my consent, the women went to the spot 
where we had killed the bear, and where the carcass 
had been left in safety, buried deep in the snow. They 
brought the booty back with them, and kettles being 
hung over the fires, the whole bear was dressed for the 
feast. 

About an hour after dark, accompanied by four 
of my men, I repaired to the place of sacrifice, ac- 
cording to irvitation. The nimiber of the Indians 
exactly equalled ours, there being two men and three 
women; so that together we were ten persons, upon 
whom it was incumbent to eat up the whole bear. I 
was obliged to receive into my own plate, or dish, a 
portion of not less than ten pounds weight, and each of 
my men were supplied with twice this quantity. As 
to the Indians, one of them had to his share the head, 
the breast, the heart, with its surrounding fat, and all 
the four feet; and the whole of this he swallowed in 
two hours. He, as well as the rest, had finished before 
I had got through half my toil; and my men were 
equally behind-hand. In this situation, one of them 
resorted to an experiment which had a ludicrous issue, 
and which, at the same time, served to discover a fresh 
feature in the superstitions of the Indians. Having 
first observed to us, that a part of the cheer would be 
very acceptable to him the next day, when his appetite 
should be returned, he withdrew a part of the contents 
of his dish, and made it fast to the girdle which he wore 
13 



194 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

under his shirt. While he disposed in this manner of 
his superabundance, I, who found myself unable to per- 
form my part, requested the Indians to assist me; and 
this they cheerfully did, eating what I had found too 
much, with as much apparent ease as if their stomachs 
had been previously empty. The feast being brought 
to an end, and the prayer and thanksgiving pro- 
nounced, those near the door departed; but, when 
the poor fellow who had concealed his meat, and who 
had to pass from the further end of the lodge, rose up 
to go, two dogs, guided by the scent, laid hold of the 
treasure, and tore it to the ground. The Indians were 
greatly astonished; but, presently observed, that the 
Great Spirit had led the dogs by inspiration to the act, 
in order to frustrate the profane attempt to steal away 
this portion of the offering. As matters stood, the 
course they took was to put the meat into the fire, and 
there consume it. 

On the 20th of April, the ice broke up, and several 
canoes arrived, filled with women and children, who 
reported that the men of their band were all gone out 
to war, against the ISTadowessies. On the 15th of May, 
a part of the warriors, with some others, arrived, in 
fifty canoes, almost every one of which had a cargo of 
furs. The warriors gave me some account of their 
campaign; stating, that they had set out in search of 
the enemy, four hundred strong; and that on the fourth 
day from their leaving their village, they had met the 
enemy, and been engaged in battle. The battle, as 
they related, raged the greater part of the day ; and in 
the evening, the Nadowessies, to the number of six 
hundred, fell back, across a river which lay behind 



1766.] ADVENTURES. I95 

them, encamping in this position for the night. The 
Chipeways had thirty-five killed; and they took ad- 
vantage of the suspension of the fray, to prepare the 
bodies of their friends, and then retired to a small 
distance from the place, expecting the Nadowessies to 
recross the stream in the morning, and come again to 
blows. In this, however, they were disappointed; for 
the ]^adowessies continued their retreat, without even 
doing the honours of war to the slain. To do these 
honours is to scalp; and to prepare the bodies is to dress 
and paint the remains of the dead, preparatorily to this 
mark of attention from the enemy: " The neglect," said 
the Chipeways, '"'was an affront to us — a disgrace; be- 
" cause we consider it an honour, to have the scalps of 
" our countrymen exhibited in the villages of our 
" enemies, in testimony of our valour." 

The concourse of Indians, already mentioned, with 
others who came after, all rich in furs, enabled me very 
speedily to close my trafiic for the spring, disposing of 
all the goods, which, on taking M. Cadotte into partner- 
ship, had been left in my own hands. I found myseK 
in possession of a hundred and fifty packs of beaver, 
weighing a hundred pounds each, besides twenty-five 
packs of otter and marten skins; and with this part of 
the fruits of my adventure, I embarked for Michili- 
mackinac, sailing in company with fifty canoes of In- 
dians, who had still a hundred packs of beaver, which 
I was unable to purchase. 

On my way, I encamped a second time at the mouth 
of the Ontonagan, and now took the opportunity of 
going ten miles up the river, with Indian guides. The 
object, which I went most expressly to see, and to 



196 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

whicli I had the satisfaction of being led, was a mass of 
copper, of the weight, accordine; to my estimate, of no 
less than five ton. Such was its pure and malleable 
state, that with an axe I was able to cut o£E a portion, 
weighing a hundred pounds.^ On viewing the sur- 



3 This mass of native copper appears to have been known to 
the Indians for a very long period. Pierre Boucher in his 
Histoire Veritable et Nakirelle, Paris, 1664, says, " that the 
Frenchmen ■who went with Father Menard told me that they 
had seen a nugget of copper, at the end of a hill which 
weighed more than eight hundred pounds. They say that 
the Indians as they pass it make fires on top of it, and then 
hew pieces out with their axes." Talon, Intendant of Justice, 
writing from Quebec, to Colbert in Paris, November, 2, 1671: 
* ' The copper which I sent from Lake Superior and the 
river Nantaonagan (Ontonagon), proves that there is a mine 
on the border of some stream. More than twenty French- 
men have seen a lump at the lake which they estimate 
weighs more than eight hundred pounds." David Thompson 
saw it in 1798. " As I was surveying this lake I went up 
the Untonoggan River (by the United States called the Eagle 
River), to a mass of native copper, but with my small axe I 
could not get a piece of it. It lay below a cliff on the limestone 
shore of the river, and was much rounded by water." Journals 
and Surveys; Report of Ontario Bureau of Mines, 1893. At 
the conference in 1823 with the Ojibwa at Fond du Lac, 
for the purchase of these lands, one of the chiefs said in refer- 
ence to the nugget of copper, "This 'Fathers,' is the 
property of no one man. It belongs alike to us. It was 
put there by the Great Spirit, and it is ours. In the life of 
my father, the British were busy working it. It was then 
big like that table. They tried to raise it to the top of the 
hill and they failed. They then said the copper was not in 
the rock, but in the banks of the river. They dug for it 
by a light working under ground. The earth fell in and 
killed three men. It was then left till now." In 1843 the 



1766.] ADVENTURES. 197 

roundine: surface, I conjectured tliat tlie mass, at some 
period or other, had rolled from the side of a lofty hill, 
which rises at its back. 



weight of this rock was estimated between 6,000 to 7,000 lbs., 
and its purity at 95 per cent., was removed to the Smith- 
sonian Institute at Washington, at a cost of about $3,500. 

See Whittlesey's Ancient Milling on the shores of Lake Superior, 
Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. 13, and Sir 
Daniel Wilson's Prehistoric Man, London, 1865. 



CHAPTER m. 

Author winters at the Sault de Sainte- Marie, 
Scarcity of Provisions. The Man-eater. 

I PASSED the winter following at tlie Sault de 
Sainte-Marie. Eish, at this place, are usually so 
abundant, in the autumn, that precautions are not 
taken for a supply of provisions for the winter; but, 
this year the fishery failed, and the early settino-in of 
the frost rendered it impracticable to obtain assistance 
from Michilimackinac. To the increase of our difficul- 
ties, five men, whom, on the prospect of distress, I had 
sent to subsist themselves at a distant post, came back, 
on the day before Christmas-day, driven in by want. 

Under these circumstances, and having heard that 
fish might be found in Oak-bay, called by the French, 
Anse a la Peche, or Fishing-cove, which is on the north 
side of Lake Superior, at the distance of twelve leagues 
from the Sault.^ I lost no time in returing thither, 
taking with me several men, \vith a pint of maize only 
for each person. 

In Oak-bay, we were generally able to obtain a 



1 Now known as Goulais Bay. This end of the lake appears 
to have aflForded excellent fishing grounds, as the opposite 
point on the south shore was called Whitefish Point, and the 
entire bay enclosed between this point and Sault Ste. Marie, 
is sometimes marked on maps as Whitefish Bay. 



1767.] TRAVELS, &c. 199 

supply of food, sometimes doing so with great facility, 
but at others going to bed hungry. After being here a 
fortnight, we were joined by a body of Indians, flying, 
like ourselves, from famine. Two days after, there 
came a young Indian out of the woods, alone, and re- 
porting that he had left the family to which he belong- 
ed behind, in a starving condition, and unable, from 
their weakly and exhausted state, to pursue their 
journey to the bay. The appearance of this youth was 
frightful; and from his squalid figure there issued a 
stench which none of us could support. 

His arrival struck our camp with horror and uneasi- 
ness; and it was not long before the Indians came to 
me, saying, that they suspected he had been eating 
human flesh, and even that he had killed and devoured 
the family which he pretended to have left behind. 

These charges, upon being questioned, he denied; 
but, not without so much equivocation in his answers 
as to increase the presumption against him. In conse- 
quence, the Indians determined on travelling a day's 
journey, on his track; observing, that they should be 
able to discover, from his encampments, whether he 
were guilty or not. The next day, they returned, 
bringing with them a human hand and skull. The 
hand had been left roasting before a fire, while the in- 
testines, taken out of the bodv from which it was cut, 
hung fresh upon a neighbouring tree. 

The youth, being informed of these discoveries, and 
further questioned, confessed the crime of which he 
was accused. Fiom the account he now proceeded to 
give, it appeared that the family had consisted of his 



200 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

uncle and aunt, their four cliildren and himself. One 
of the children was a boy of fifteen years of age. His 
uncle, after firing at several beasts of the chase, all of 
which he missed, fell into despondence, and persuaded 
himself that it was the will of the Great Spirit that he 
should perish. In this state of mind, he requested his 
wife to kill him. The woman refused to comply; but 
the two lads, one of them, as has been said, the nephew, 
and the other the soi of the unhappy man, agreed 
between themselves to murder him, to prevent, as our 
informant wished us to believe, his murdering them. 
Accomplishing their detestable purpose, they devoured 
the body; and famine pressing upon them still closer, 
they successively killed the three younger children, 
upon whose fiesh they subsisted for some time, and 
with a part of which the parricides at length set out 
for the lake, leaving the woman ,who was too feeble to 
travel, to her fate. On their way, their foul victuals 
failed; the youth before us killed his companion; and 
it was a part of the remains of this last victim that had 
been discovered at the fire. 

The Indians entertain an opinion, that the man, who 
has once made human flesh his food, will never after- 
ward be satisfied with any other. It is probable that 
we saw things in some measure through the medium of 
our preiudices; but, I confess that this distressing 
object appeared to verify the doctrine. He ate with 
relish nothing that was given him; but, indifferent to 
the food prepared., fixed his eyes continually on the 
children which were in the Indian lodge, and frequent- 
ly exclaimed, "How fat they are!" — It was perhaps 
not unnatural, that after long acquaintance with no 



1767.] ADVENTURES. 201 

human form but such as was gaunt and pale from want 
of food, a man's eyes should be almost riveted upon 
any thing, where misery had not made such inroads, 
and still more upon the bloom and plumpness of 
childhood; and the exclamation might be the most 
innocent, and might proceed from an involuntary and 
unconquerable sentiment of admiration. — Be this as it 
may, his behaviour was considered, and not less na- 
turally, as marked with the most alarming symptoms; 
and the Indians, apprehensive that he would prey upon 
their children, resolved on putting him to death. They 
did this the next day, with a single stroke of an axe, 
aimed at his head from behind, and of the approach of 
which he had not the smallest intimation.^ 

Soon after this affair, our supply of fish, even here, 
began to fail; and we resolved, in consequence, to re- 
turn to the Sault, in the hope that some supply might 
have arrived there. Want, however, still prevailed at 
that plaoe, and no stranger had visited it: we set off, 
therefore, to Michilimackinac, taking with us only one 
meal's provision, for each person. Happily, at our first 
encampment, an hour's fishing procured us seven trout, 
each of from ten pounds weight to twenty. At the 
river, Miscoutinsaki, we found two lodges of Indians, 
who had fish, and who generously gave us part.^ The 

" Such persons are known as " Windigo " among the Indians 
and are always regarded with horror. See J. C Kohl's 
Kitchi-Gami, Chap. xxii. 

^ This name is a relic of the tribe of Indians known as 
Mascoutins, oc Fire Nation, or Nation of the Prairie, the 
Assistaeronous of the early Jesuit Relations. As a nation 



202 TRAVELS, &c. [1767. 

next day, we continued our journey, till, meetino- with 
a caribou, I was so fortunate as to kill it. We encamp- 
ed close to the carcass, which weighed about fom- 
hundred pounds, and subsisted ourselves upon it for 
two days. On the seventh day of our march, we 
reached Fort Michiliniackinac, where our difficulties 
ended. 

On the 1st of Julv, there arrived a hundred canoes 
from the north-west, laden with beaver. 



they are now extinct, their tribal organization having been 
absorbed by the Kickapoos and Foxes. John Johnston writes 
the name Methcoutisagu^. See his Account of Lake ISuperior 
in Masson's Bourgeois, Vol. 2, p. 148. A brief history of the 
tribe is given in Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes, Vol. 4, p. 244, 



CHAPTER lY. 

Voyage fro'm the Sault de Sainte-Marie to Michi- 
picoten. Face of the Country. Ores of Copper 
and Lead. Indian Traditions — Nanihojou — his 
Burial-place — Original Country — Deluge — Ci'ea- 
tion of Man — Animals conspire against Mankind 
— deprived of the use of Speech. Sacrifices at the 
Grave of Nanihojou — his present offices. River 
of Michipicoten. O'pimittish Ininiwac — country 
— language — dress — wretchedness — incestuous cus- 
toms — strict honesty — numbers. Face of the 
Country. 

THE same year, I chose my wintering-ground at 
Michipicoten/ on the north side of Lake Superior, dis- 
tant fifty leagues from the Saiilt de Sainte-Marie. On 
my voyage, after passing the great capes which are at 
the mouth of the lake, I observed the banks to be low 
and stony, and in some places running a league back, 
to the feet of a ridge of mountains. 



^ This official spelling of the name of the river, bay and settle- 
ment has been changed to Michipicoten. For many years 
Michipicoton factory was the principal Hudson's Bay Company's 
post on the north shore of Lake Superior, from which a number 
of smaller posts in the interior were supplied. The route to 
James' Bay was by the Michipicoton and Moose Rivers, the 
journey occupying about sixteen days. A full description of 
the district with map and illustrations will be found in the 
Report of the Bureau of Mines, Ontario, 1898. 



204 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

At Point Mamance,- the beach appeared to abound 
in mineral substances; and I met with a vein of lead- 
ore, where the metal abounded in the form of cubical 
crystals. Still coasting along the lake, I found 
several veins of copper-ore, of that kind which the 
miners call gray ore.^ 

From Mamance to Nanibojou is fifteen leagues. 
I^^anibojou is on the eastern side of the Bay of Michipi- 
coten. At the opposite point, or cape, are several small 
islands, under one of wliich, according to Indian tradi- 
tion, is buried jSTanibojou, a person of the most sacred 



- The accepted form of this name is Point Mamainse. 
Charlevoix gives it as Point Mamens, and David Thompson 
more phonetically as Mahmaize. Keating calls it "Point de 
Memens" "a corruption of the Indian word Marmoaze, which 
signifies an assemblage of rocks." Expedition to the Soiirce 
of St. Peter's River in 1823, vol. 2, p. 196. Agassiz used 
Mamainse, and Dr. Robert Bell of the Canadian Geological 
Survey, Namainse, and both these gentlemen give the same 
meaning " Little Sturgeon." Point Mamainse lies about fifty 
miles distance from Sault St. Marie, and has become, once 
more, within the past few years a mining centre. 

^ The form of copper found here is chalcocite or copper 
glance which on account of its color is often incorrectly 
called gray copper ore. The true gray copper ore, tetrahedrite 
is not found in the district. Native copper was subsequently 
found by David Thompson in 1798. See Report of the Bureau 
of Mines, Ontario, 1893, where an extract from Thompson's 
M.S. Journal may be found. The Reports of the Canadian 
Geological Survey and of the Ontario Bureau of Mines mention 
iron as occuring at Mamainse in addition to the two metala 
named by Henry. 



1767.] ADVENTURES. 205 

memory.* Nanibojou, is otherwise called by the names 
of Minabojoii, Michabou, Messou, Shactac, and a 
variety of others,^ but of all of which the interpretation 
appears to be, The Great Hare. The traditions, re- 
lated of the Great Hare, are as varied as his name. He 
was represented to me as the founder, and indeed 
creator, of the Indian nations of ]!^orth- America. He 
lived originally toward the going down of the sun, 
where being warned, in a dream, that the inhabitants 

* The north shore of Lake Superior abounds in localities 
commemorative of Nanibozhu. A rocky point with a deep 
depression marks where he sat down to smoke, two depressions 
in the rocks are the imprints of his snow shoes, and elsewhere 
are the prints of his feet when walking or jumping. At the 
present day his grave is pointed out on the shore to the east of 
Thunder Bay Point. "It is a mountain some three miles 
long, and when seen from the water at a distance has the 
appearance of a man lying upon his back." Older tradition, 
however, points to the island which Henry visited as the grave, 
and it appears on Bellin's map of 1744, under the name of 
Minabaujou. Keating who passed it in 1823, writes: — "The 
spot is held in high veneration by the Indians, who, whenever 
they pass it deposit near it presents of tobacco and other valu- 
able articles." Agassiz, says : — "It is a curious rock, part of 
which seems as if cut away nearly to the level of the water, 
while the rest rises steeply to the height of thirty or forty feet. 
This rock is remarkable in a mineralogical point of view. 
It is an amygdaloid porphyry containing asbestos and quartz 
with thin layers of chlorite and injections of granite." It lies 
a short distance north east of Cape Gargantua. 

^ Of the names here given, Messou was that used among the 
Quebec Montagnais and other Algonquin tribes of the east. 
The form occurs frequently in the early Jesuit Relations. 
Shactac is apparently a form of the Cree Wisakketchak, which 
also appears in the Nipissing, Wisakedjak. 



206 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

would be drowned by a general flood, produced by 
heavy rains, lie built a raft, on wliicli he afterward 
preserved his o^vn family, and all the animal world 
without exception. According to his dream, the rains 
fell, and a flood ensued. His raft drifted for many 
moons, during which no land was discovered. His 
family began to despair of a termination to the 
calamity; and the animals, who had then the use /of 
speech, murmured loudly against him. In the end, he 
produced a new earth, placed the animals upon it, and 
created man. 

At a subsequent period, he took from the animals 
the use of speech. This act of severity was performed 
in consequence of a conspiracy, into which they had en- 
tered against the human race. At the head of the con- 
spiracy was the bear ; and the great increase ,which had 
taken place among the animals rendered their numbers 
formidable. — I have heard many other stories concern- 
ing ISTaniboiou, and many have been already given 
to the public; and this at least is certain, that sacrifices 
are offered, on the island which is called his grave or 
tumulus, by all who pass it. I landed there, and found 
on the projecting rocks a quantity of tobacco, rotting 
in the rain; together with kettles, broken guns and a 
variety of other articles. His spirit is supposed to 
make this its constant residence; and here to preside 
over the lake, and over the Indians, in their naviga- 
tion and fishing.^ 

* The story of Nanibozhu is wide spread among the western 
Algonquin peoples, who delight in the narration " of the deeds 
and exploits of the hero-god who figures in their creation and 
deluge legends, who taught them many arts and inventions, 



1767.] ADVENTURES. 207 

This island lies no further from the main, than the 
distance of five hundred yards. On the opposite beach, 
I found several pieces of virgin copper, of which many 
were remarkable for their form; some resembling 
leaves of vegetables, and others animals. Their weight 
was from an ounce to three pounds. 

From the island to my proposed wintering-ground, 
the voyage was about ten leagues. The lake is here 
bordered by a rugged and elevated country, consist- 
ing in mountains, of which, for the most part, the feet 
are in the water, and the heads in the clouds. The 
river which falls into the bay is a large one, but has a 
bar at its entrance, over Avhich there is no more than 
four feet water. 

On reaching the trading-post, which was an old one 
of French establishment, I found ten lodges of In- 
dians. These were Gens de Terres, or O^pimittish 

and who sometimes deceived them as well as helped them." 
The relation of these form a permanent source of pleasure 
around the fire during the long winter nights, and though later 
local surroundings have somewhat coloured the older story, yet 
in the main, it is alike in all branches of the great Algonquin 
nation. The hero bears a close analogy to Napiu of the Black- 
feet and Gluskey of the Mic-Macs. Schoolcraft's Algic 
Besearches, New York, 1839, has given some of the stories 
at length. A. F. Chamberlain's paper in the Journal of 
American Folk-Lore, Vol. 4, p. 193, entitled "Nanibozhu 
among the Otchipwe, Mississagas and other Algonquin 
tribes," is of great value for its able comparisons. Professor 
Ellis furnishes an interesting variant of "Nanibozhu and 
his brother" in Varsity, Toronto, 1888. See also Brinton's 
Essays of an Americanist, 1890, and Emerson's Indian Myths, 
1884. 



208 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Ininiwac, of which nation I have already had occa- 
sion to speak.* It is scattered over all the country 
between the Gulf of Saint-Lawrence and Lake Ara- 
buthcow/ and between Lake Superior and Hudson's 
Bay. Its language is a mixture of those ,of its neigh- 
bours, the Chipeways and (Jhristinaux.-]-' The men and 
women weai- their hair in the same fashion; ,and are 
otherwise so much dressed alike, that it is often ditlicult 
to distinguish the sexes. Their lodges, on the insutfi- 
ciency of which I have before remarked,, have no 
covering, except the branches of the spruce-fir; and 
these habitations, as well as the clothes and persons of 
the inhabitants, are full of dirt and- vermin. Such is 
the inhospitality of the country over which they wan- 
der, that only a single family can live together in the 
winter season; and this sometimes seeks subsistence in 
vain, on an area of five hundred square miles. They 
can stay in one place only till they have destroyed all 
its hares; and when these fail, they have no resource 
but in the leaves and shoots of trees, or in defect of 

*See Part I. Chapter 6. They are also called Tetes de Boule. 

tThe same with Kinistinaux, Killistinoes, Criqs, Oris, 
Crees, &c. &c. &c. 

^ Lake Athabaska. 

^ Duncan Cameron makes a similar observation on the Indian 
language of the Nipigon country, declaring it to be a mixture of 
Ojiboiay (Chippeway) and Masquaigon Cree. Masson's Bour- 
geois du Nord-Ouest. Vol. 2., p. 241. Cameron's observation 
though written about 1805 was not published till 1890, and is 
therefore independent testimony on the language of tribes 
closely adjoining the Michipicoton band. This corroboration 
bears witness to the value of Henry's observations. 



1767.] ADVENTURES. 209 

these, in cannibalism. Most of tliese particulars, how- 
ever, are to be regarded as strong traits, by which the 
sorrows and calamities of the country admit of being 
characterized, rather than as parts of an accurate 
delineation of its more ordinary state. .,- 

Among such of these Indians as I knew, one of them 
was married to his own daughter, who had brought him 
several children; and I was told by his companions, 
that it was common among them for a man to have at 
the same time, both a mother and her daughter for 
wives. 

To the ten lodges, I advanced goods to a large 
amount, allowing every man credit for a hundred 
beaver-skins, and every woman for thirty. In this, I 
went beyond what I had done for the Chipeways, a 
proceeding to which I was emboldened by the high, 
character, for honesty, which is supported by this 
otherwise abject people. Within a few days after 
their departure, others arrived; and by the fifteenth 
of October, I had seen, or so I was informed, all the 
Indians of this quarter, and which belong to a 
thousand sauare miles. They were comprised in no 
more than eighteen families; and even these, in sum- 
mer, could not find food in the country, were it not 
for the fish in the streams and lakes. 

The country, immediately contiguous to my win- 
tering-gTound, was mountainous in every direction; 
and the mountains were separated from each other 
rather by lakes than valleys, the quantitv of water 
everywhere exceeding that of the land. On the 
summits of some of the mountains there were sugar- 
14 



210 TRAVELS, &c. [1767. 

maple trees; but, with, these exceptions, the uplands 
had no other p;rowth than spruce-firs and pines, nor the 
lowlands than birch and poplar. Occasionally, I saw 
a few cariboux; and hares and partridges supplied my 
Sundays' dinners. — By Christmas-day, the lake was 
covered with ice. 



CHAPTER V. 

Maple-sugar making. Depth of Snow. Wildfowl — 
short-lived abundance. Indians bring in their 
Skins. Author passes a second Winter at Michipi- 
coten — sails for the Sault de Sainte-Marie. Storm 
at the Island of Nanibojou. Famine. Canadians 
propose to kill and eat a Young Women. Tripe de 
Roche — nutritive quality of that vegetable. Arrival 
at the Sault and return to Michipicoten. 

IIST the beginning of April, I prepared to make 
maple-sugar, building for this purpose a house, in a 
hollow dug out of the snow. The house was seven 
feet high, but yet was lower than the snow. 

On the twenty-fourth, I began my manufacture. 
On the twenty-eighth, the lands below were covered 
with a thick fog. All was calm, and from the top 
of the mountain not a cloud was to be discovered in 
the horizon. Descending the next day, I found half 
a foot of new-fallen snow, and learned that it had 
blown hard in the valleys the day before; so that I 
perceived I had been making sugar in a region 
above the clouds. 

Sugar-making continued till the twelfth of May. 
On the mountain, we eat nothing but our fugar, 
during the whole period. Each man consumed a 
pound a day, desired no other food, and was visibly 
noui'ished by it. 



212 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

After returning: to the banks of the river, wild- 
fowl appeared in such abundance that a day's sub- 
sistence, for fiftv men, could without difficulty be 
shot daily by one; but, all this was the affair of less 
than a week, before the end of which the water, 
which had been covered, was left naked : and the 
birds had fled away to the northward. 

On the twentieth day of the month, the first 
party of Indians came in from their winter's hunt. 
During the season, some of them had visited one of 
the factories of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
Within a few days following, I had the satisfac- 
tion of seeing all those to whom I had advanced 
goods return. Out of two thousand skins, which 
was the amount of my outstanding debts, not thirty 
remained unpaid; and even the trivial loss, which 
I did suffer, was occasioned by the death of one of 
the Indians, for whom his family brought, as they 
said, all the skins of which he died possessed, and 
offered to pay the rest from among themselves: — his 
manes, they observed, would not be able to enjoy 
peace, while his name remained in my books, and 
his debts were left unsatisfied. 

In the spring, at Michilimackinac, I met with a 
Mr. Alexander Baxter, recently arrived from Eng- 
land, on report of the ores existing in this country.^ 
To this gentleman, I communicated my minera- 



1 In a letter written in 1784 by Benjamin Frobisher, it is 
stated that Mr. Baxter while on Lake Superior, had his 
residence at Point aux Pins. See Canadian Archives Report, 
1888, p. 64. 



1768.] ADVENTURES. 213 

logical observations and specimens, collected both on 
my voyages and at my wintering-ground; and I was 
tbus introduced into a partnership, which was soon 
afterward formed^ for working the mines of Lake 
Superior. 

Meanwhile, I prepared to pass a second winter 
at Michipicoten, which I reached at the usual sea- 
son. In the month of October, all the Indians be- 
ing supplied, and at the chase, I resolved on indul- 
ging myself in a voyage to the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie, and took with me three Canadians, and a 
young Indian woman, who wished to see her rela- 
tions there. As the distance was short, and we 
were to fish by the way, we took no other provision 
than a quart of maize for each person. 

On the first night, we encamped on the island of 
Nanibojou, and set our net. We certainly neg- 
lected the customary offerings, and an Indian would 
not fail to attribute it to this cause, that in the night 
there arose a violent storm, which continued for 
three days, in which it was impossible for us to visit 
our net. In consequence, we subsisted ourselves 
on our maize, the whole of which we nearly finished. 
On the evening of the third dav, the storm abated, 
and we hastened to examine the net. It was gone. 
To return to Michipicoten was impossible, the wind 
being ahead; and we steered therefore for the Sault- 
But, in the evening, the wind came round, and blew 
a gale all that night, and for the nine following 
days. During all this time, the waves were so high, 
and broke so violently on the beach, that a canoe 
could not be "nut into the water. 



214 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

When we first disembarked, we had not enough 
maize to afford a single day's provision for our party, 
consisting, as it did, of five persons. What there 
was, we consumed on the first evening, reckoning 
upon a prosperous voyage the next morning. On 
the first and second days, I went out to hunt; but, 
after ranging for many miles among the mountains, 
I returned, in both instances without success. On 
the third day, I found myself too weak to walk 
many yards without stopping to rest myself; and I 
returned in the evening with 'no more than two 
snow-birds.* 

On mv arrival, one of my men informed me, 
that the other two had proposed to kill and feed 
upon the voung woman; and, on my examining 
them as to the truth of this accusation, they freely 
avowed it, and seemed to be much dissatisfied at my 
opposition to their scheme. 

The next morning, I ascended a lofty mountain, 
on the top of which I found a very high rock, and 
this covered with a lichen, which the Chipeways 
call waac, and the Canadians, tripe de roche. I had 
preAaously been informed, that on occasions of 
famine, this vegetable has often been resorted to for 
food.-' No sooner, therefore, bad I discovered it, 
*Emberiza hyemalis. 

^ Under this name are known some black-looking leathery 
lichens growing upon the bare rocks as far north as the arctic 
circle. Botanically they belong to the genus Gyrophora and 
Umbilicaria. Their nutritive properties depend on the pres- 
ence of a large amount of starchy matter. When boiled they 
yield a firm nutrient jelly, which is generally accompanied by 



1768.] ADVENTURES. 215 

than I began to descend the motmtain, to fetch tlie 
men and the Indian woman. The woman was well 
acquainted with the mode of preparing the lichen 
for the stomach, which is done by boiling it down 
into a mucilage, as thick as the white of an e^s^. In 
a short time, we obtained a hearty meal; for though 
our food was of a bitter and disagreeable taste, we 
felt too much joy in finding it, and too much relief 
in eating it, not to partake of it with appetite and 
pleasure. As to the rest, it saved the life of the 
poor woman; for the men, who had projected to kill 
her, would unquestionably have accomplished their 
purpose. One of them gave me to understand, that 
he was not absolutely a novice in such an affair; 
that he had wintered in the northwest, and had been 
obliged to eat human flesh. 

On the evening of the ninth day, the wind fell, 
and our canoe was launched, though not without 
difficulty, from the weakly state of the crew. We 
paddled all night, but continually fell asleep; and 
whenever my own eyes were closed, I dreamed of 
tem^iting food. 

The next morning, we discovered two canoes of 
Indians, on their way from the Sault. On inform- 
ing them of our condition, they supplied us with as 

a bitter principle possessed of purgative powers. It was to 
these lichens, Sir John Franklin and his party owed there 
lives during their pitiful journey across the barren lands in the 
neighbourhood of the Copper-Mine River in 1821. In the Jour- 
nal of Peter Jones, Toronto, 1860, the Ojibwa name is giyen 
as Wahkoonun. 



216 TRAVELS, &c. [1768. 

many fish as we were willing" to accept; aud no 
sooner were we possessed of this treasure, than we 
put ashore, made a fire, and refreshed ourselves with 
a plentiful breakfast. At ni^ht, we reached the 
Sault. Our change of diet had very serious effects 
upon our health; so that, for myself, I had nearly 
fallen a victim; but, after a few days, we recovered, 
and returned safely to Michipicoten. 



CHAPTER VI. 

He de Maurepas. Island of Yellow Sands. Fables 
and T^'adition. Attempt to cultivate a Garden at 
Michipicoten. Mine-Company of Lake Superior 
established. 

IIsT the sprins;' of 1769, as soon as tlie lake was 
cleared of ice, I embarked with two Indians, to 
visit the Island of Michipicoten, or He de Maurepas, 
distant ten leagues.^ As we approached it, it appear- 
ed lar^e and monntainons. The Indians had in- 
formed me, that it contained shining rocks, and 
stones of rare description. I found it one solid rock, 
thinly covered with soil, except in the valleys; but 
i2:enerally well wooded. Its circumference is twelve 
leasrues. On examining' the surface, I saw nothing 
remarkable, except large veins of transparent spar, 
and a mass of rock, at the south end of the island, 
which appeared to be composed of iron-ore. 



1 During the French regime, this island bore the name of the 
Comte de Maurepas, 1701-1781, Minister of Marine under 
Louis XV. His name was also given to Fort Maurepas at 
the mouth of the Winnipeg River. The island has since 
Henry's day been the scene of operations of a number of 
mining companies, but no great success has attended their 
eflforts. Geological and mineralogical description will be found 
in the Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress to 1863, 
and the Mineral Resources of Ontario, Toronto, 1890. 



218 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Disappointed in my expectations here, my curio- 
sity was raised anew, by the account ^iven me by 
my companions, of another island, almost as large 
as that on which I was, and lyina; a little further to 
the southward. This they described as covered with 
a heavy yellow sand, which I was credulous enough 
to fancy must be gold. All they knew, however, of 
the island and its heavy yellow sand, was from the 
report of some of their ancestors, concerning whom a 
tradition had come down to them, that being blown 
upon the former by a storm, the^^ had escaped with 
difficulty from the enormous snakes by which it is 
inhabited, and which are the guardians of the 
yellow sand.* I was eager to ^dsit so remarkable a 

*Captain Carver, who visited Lake Superior about the year 
1766, learned something of the fables of the yellow sand, 
though he places the treasure upon the He de Maurepas, 
and falls into other errors. His observations are as follows : 
— "There are many islands in this lake, two of which are 
"very large ; and if the land of them is proper for cultiva- 
" tion, there appears to be sufficient to form on each a con- 
"siderable province; especially on He Royale, which cannot 
"be less than a hundred miles long, and in many places forty 
"broad. But, there is no way at present of ascertaining the 
"exact length or breath of either. Even the French, who 
"always kept a small schooner on this lake, whilst they were 
"in possession of Canada, by which they could have made 
"this discovery, have only acquired a slight knowledge of 
"the external parts of these islands ; at least they have never 
"published any account of the internal parts of them, that I 
"could get intelligence of. 

"Nor was I able to discover, from any of the conversations 
"which I had with the neighbouring Indians, that they had 
"ever made any settlements on them, or even landed there, 
"on their hunting excursions. From what I could gather 



1769.] ADVENTURES. 219 

spot, and being told tliat in clear weather it was 
visible from the southward of the He de Maurepas, I 
waited there two days; but, the weather continuing 
hazy, I returned unsatisfied to my post. 

This year, I attempted to cultivate culinary veget- 
ables at Michipicoten ; but without success. It was not 
at this time believed, that the potatoe could thrive 
at Michilimackinac. At Michipicoten, the small 
quantity of this root which I raised was destroyed by 
the frost, in the ensuing winter. 

"by their discourse, they suppose them to have been, from 
"the first formation, the residence of the Great Spirit; and 
"relate many magical tricks, that had been experienced by 
"such as were obliged through stress of weather to take 
"shelter on them. 

"One of the Chipeways told me, that some of their people 
"were once driven on the Island de Maurepas, which lies to 
" the north-east part of the lake, and found on it large 
"quantities of heavy, shining yellow sand, that from their 
"description must have been gold-dust. Being struck with 
"the beautiful appearance of it, in the morning, when they 
"re-entered their canoe, they attempted to bring some away; 
" but, a spirit of amazing size, according to their account, 
"sixty feet in height, strode into the water, after them, and 
"commanded them to deliver back what they had taken 
"away. Terrified at his gigantic statute, and seeing that he 
"had nearly overtaken them, they were glad to restore their 
"shining treasure; on which they were suffered to depart 
"without further molestation. Since this incident, no Indian 
"that has ever heard of it, will venture near the same haunted 
"coast. Besides this, they recounted to me many other 
"stories of these islands, equally fabulous." — Three Years' 
Travels through the Interior Parts of North America, <&c. By 
Captain Jonathan Carver, of the Provincial Troops, dec. 



220 TRAVELS, &c. [1771. 

In 1770, Mr. Baxter, who had sailed for England, 
returned, bringing with him papers, by which, 
with Mr. Bostwick and himself, I was constituted a 
joint-agent and partner, in and for a company of ad- 
venturers for working the mines of Lake Superior. 
We passed the winter together at the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie, and built a barge, fit for the navigation of 
the lake; at the same time laying the keel of a sloop 
of fcrty tons. Early in May, 1771, the lake becom- 
ing navigable, we departed from Point aux Pius, 
our shipyard, at wliich there is a safe harbour,'^ and 
of which the distance from the Sault is three leagues. 
We sailed for the Island of Yellow Sands, promising 
ourselves to make our fortunes, in defiance of its 
serpents. 



- Benjamin Frobisher, writing for the information of the 
Governor, April 17, 1784, recommends the establishment of a 
post so as to command the entrance into Lake Superior, and 
says that "Point aux Pins is the most desirable spot. It 
is situated on the east side about two leagues above the Falls, 
on a narrow Channel that Commands in the most effectual 
manner the entrance into Lake Superior, it has the advantage 
of a fine Bason, formed by the Point, where vessels lay in 
deep water within a few yards of the shore, equally secure 
in Winter as in Summer." Canadian Archives, 1888, p. 64. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Visit the Island of Yellow Sands. Operation of 
the Mine-Company — its dissolution. 

AFTER a searcli of two days, we discovered the 
island with our glass; and on the third morning, 
the weather being fair, steered for it at an early hour. 
At two o'clock in the afternoon, we disembarked upon 
the beach. 

I was the first to land, carrying with me my 
loaded gun, and resolved to meet with courage the 
guardians of the gold. But, as we had not happened 
to run our barge upon the yellow sands in the first 
instance, so no immediate attack was to be feared. 
A wood was before us, at some little distance from 
the water's edge ; and I presently discovered the tracks 
of caribcux. 

Soon after I entered the woods, three of these 
animals discovered themselves, and turning round, 
gazed at me with much apparent surprise. I fired 
at one of them and killed it; and at a mile further I 
killed a second. Their size was equal to that of a 
three-year old heifer. The day following, I killed 
three. 

The island is much smaller than I had been led to 
suppose it: its circumference not exceeding twelve 
miles. It is very low, and contains many small lakes. 



222 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

These latter I conjecture to have been produced by 
the damming up of the streams by beaver, though 
those animals must have left the island, or perished, 
after destroy mg the wood. The only high land is 
toward the east. 

A stay of three days did not enable us to find 
gold, nor even the yellow sands. At the same time, 
no serpents appeared, to terrify us ; not even the 
smallest and most harmless snake. But, to support 
the romance, it might be infen-ed, that the same 
agency which hid the one had changed the other; 
and why should not the magic of the place display 
itself in a thousand varied exhibitions? Why should 
not the serpents have been transformed into hawks? 
and why should not the demons delight in belying 
every succeeding visitor, by never showing the same 
objects twice? Sure I am, that the hawks abounded 
when we were there. They hovered round us, and 
appeared even angry at our intrusion, pecking at us, 
and keeping us in continual alarm for our faces. 
One of them actually took my cap from, off my head. 

On one of the lakes, we saw geese; and there were 
a few pigeons. The only four-footed animal was the 
caribou, and this, it is probable, was first conveyed 
to the island on some mass of drifting ice. It was 
however no new inhabitant; for, in numerous in- 
stances, I found the bones of carihoux, apparently in 
entire skeletons, with only the tops of their horns 
projecting from the surface, while moss or vegetable 
earth concealed the rest. Skeletons were so frequent 
as to suggest a belief, that want of food, in this con- 



1771.] ADVENTURES. 223 

fined situation, had been the destruction of many; 
nor is anything more probable: and yet the absence 
of beasts of prey might be the real cause. In forests 
more ordinarily circumstanced, the graminivorous 
animals must usually fall a prey to the carnivorous, 
long before the arrival of old age; but, in an asylum 
such as this, they may await the decay of nature. 

The alarm of these animals, during our stay, was 
manifested in the strongest manner. At our first 
arrival, they discovered mere surprise, running off 
to a distance, and then returning, as if out of cu- 
riositv to examine the stransrers. Soon, however, they 
discovered us to be dangerous visitors, and then 
took to running from one place to another, in con- 
fusion. In the three days of our stay, we killed 
thirteen. 

The island is distant sixty miles from the north 
shore of Lake Superior. There is no land visible to 
the south of it, except a small island, on which we 
landed* ^ 

On the fourth day, after drying our carihoux- 
meat, we sailed for ]S[aniboiou, which we reached in 
eighteen hours, with a fair breeze. On the next 
dav, the miners examined the coast of E'anibojou, 
and found several veins of copper and lead; and 

*The reader is not to look into any gazetteer for the Island 
of Yellow Sands. It is perhaps that which the French denom- 
inated, the He de Pontchartrain. 



1 It is now known as Caribou Island, probably from the 
report which Henry brought back. 



224 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

after this returned to Point anx Pins, where we 
erected an air-fumace. The assayer made a report 
on the ores which we had collected, stating that the 
lead-ore conlained silver in the proportion of forty 
ounces to a ton; but, the copper-ore. only in very 
small proportion indeed. 

From Point aux Pins, we crossed to the soutii siue 
of the lake, and encamped on Point aux Iroquois. 

Mr. J^orbura", a Russian gentleman, acquainted 
with metals, and holding a commission in the sixtieth, 
regiment, and then in gajrison at Michilimackinac, 
accompanied us on this latter expedition. As we 
rambled, examining the shods, or loose stones, in 
search of minerals, - Mr. Norburg chanced to meet 
with one, of eight pounds weight, of a blue colour, 
and semi-transparent. This he carried to England, 
where it produced in the proportion of sixty pounds 
of silver to a hundred weight of ore. It was repos't- 
ed in the British Museum. ^ The same Mr. Norburg 
was shortly afterward appointed to the government 
of Lake George, in the province of New- York." 

2 Loose pieces of vein stuff found lying about on the surface 
are known in Cornwall as Shoad-stones ; and shoadinj^ is the 
term given to the process of tracking them to the parent lode, 
— Foster's Ore and Stone Mining, London. 1894. 

^ The Keeper of Minerals in the British Museum, writes that 
no such specimen is in his collection and that it seems unlikely 
that a specimen of such a character had been found in the 
Lake Superior region. 

^ John Nordberg or Nordbergh, Lieutenant in the Sixtieth 
Regiment, received his commission in 1758, and retired on half 
pay in 1763. He obtained a grant of 2,000 acres in Connecticut 
in 1766, rejoined his regiment in same year, and was appointed 



1772.] ADVENTURES. 225 

Hence, we coasted westward; but foiind nothing 
till we readied tlie Ontonagan, where, besides the 
detacbed masses of copper, formerly mentioned, we 
saw mncb of the same metal bedded in stone. Pro- 
posing to ourselves to make a trial on the hill, till 
we were better able to go to work upon the solid 
rock, we built a house, and sent to the Sault de 
Sainte-Marie for provisions. At the spot, pitched 
upon for the commencement of our preparations, a 
green-coloured water, which tinged iron of a copper- 
colour, issued from the hill; and this the miners call- 
ed a leader. In digging, they found frequent masses 
of copper, some of which were of three pounds 
weight. Having arranged everything for the accom- 
modation of the miners during the winter, we return- 
ed to the Sault.^ 

Captain in 1773. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, 
he was in charge of Fort George, a small fort at the southern 
end of Lake George and near the site of Fort William Henry. 
He was taken prisoner, when the fort surrendered, in April, 
1775, and remained so until December, "when it appeared to 
" the Provincial Congress that his health was in such a state as 
" that tenderness and humanity demanded his going to Great 
" Britain for the restoration of his impaired constitution, and 
"that he had with the strictest honour behaved towards the 
"inhabitants of the American colonies as a soldier and gentle- 
" man, he was permitted in token of their respect to proceed to 
"England with such of his effects as he choose to remove." — 
Journal of the New- York Provincial Congress, p. 220. 

5 John Johnston, of Sault Ste. Marie, writing in 1809 of this 
venture, says that some of these efforts were made at Miner's 
Bay, an inlet in what is now Alger County, Michigan, and 
situated far east of Ontonagon, He attributes the failure to 
peculation. — Masson^ s Bourgeois de la Gompagnie du Nord-Ouest, 
Vol. 2, p. 156. 

15 



226 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Early in the spring of 1772, we sent a boat-load of 
provisions; but, it came back on tbe twentieth, day of 
June, bringing: with it, to our surprise, the whole 
establishment of miners. They reported, that in the 
course of the winter they had penetrated forty feet 
into the hill; but, that on the arrival of the thaw, 
the clay, on which, on account of its stiffness, they 
had relied, and neglected to secure it by supporters, 
had fallen in: that to recommence their search would 
be attended with much labour and cost; that from 
the detached masses of metal, which to the last had 
daily presented themselves, they supposed there might 
be ultim&tely reached some body of the same, but 
could form no con-jecture of its distance, except that 
it was probably so far off as not to be pursued with- 
out sinking an air-shaft: and, lastly, that this work 
would require the hands of more men than could be 
fed, in the actual situation of the country. 

Here our operations in this quarter ended. The 
metal was probably within our reach; but, if we had 
found it, the expense of carrying it to Montreal must 
have exceeded its marketable value. It was never for 
the exportation of copper that our company was form- 
ed ; but, alwavs with a view to the silver which it was 
hoped the ores, whether of copper or lead, might in 
sufficient quantity contain. The copper-ores of Lake 
Superior can never be profitably sought for but for 
local consumption. The country must be cultivated 
and peopled, before they can deserve notice.* The 

*The copper-mines of Lake Superior have been more than 
once represented to the world in colours capable of deceiving 
fresh adventurers ; and the statement in the text will not have 



1772.] ADVENTURES. 227 

neiglibouring lands are good. I distributed seed-maize 
among the Indians here, whicli they planted accord- 
ingly. They did the same the following year, and in 
%oth instances had fi^ood crops. Whether or not they 
continued the practice, I cannot say. There mie^ht be 

been uselessly made, if it should at any time serve as a beacon 
to the unwary. The author of Voyages from Montreal, &c. 
has recently observed, that the " Americans, soon after they 
" got possession of the country, sent an engineer;" and that 
he "should not be surprised to hear of their employing people 
"to work the mine. Indeed," he adds, "it might be well 
"worthy the attention of the British subjects to work the 
"mines on the north coast, though they are not supposed to 
"be so rich as those on the south ; " — and Captain Carver has 
given the following account of the identical undertaking above 
described : "A company of adventurers from England began, 
"soon after the conquest of Canada, to bring away some of 
"this metal ; but the distracted situation of affairs in America 
^'has obliged them to relinquish their scheme. It might in future 
"times be made a very advantageous trade; as the metal, 
"which costs nothing on the spot, and requires but little 
"expense to get it on board, could be conveyed in boats or 
"canoes through the Falls of Sainte-Marie, to the Isle of 
" Saint- Joseph, which lies at the bottom of the strait, near the 
"entrance into Lake Huron ; from thence it might be put on 
"board larger vessels, and in them transported across that 
"lake, to the Falls of Niagara; then being carried by land, 
" across the poj'iage, it might be conveyed without much more 
"obstruction to Quebec. The cheapness and ease with which 
"any quantity of it may be procured, will make up for the 
"length of way that is necessary to transport it, before it 
' ' reaches the sea-coast ; and enable the proprietors to send it 
' ' to foreign markets on as good terms as it can be exported 
"from other countries." — T/iree Years' Travels, d;c. [Sir 
Alexander MacTcenzie, Voyage from Montreal through the Conti- 
nent of North America, London, 1801, p. 41 ; and J. Carver, 
Travels through the interior parts of North- America, London, 
1778, p. 139]. 



228 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

much danger of their losing the seed; for their way 
was, to eat the maize green, and save only a small 
quantity for sowing. 

In the following month of August, we launched our 
sloop, and can-ied the miners to the vein of copper-ore 
on the north side of the lake. Little was done during 
the winter; but, by dint of labour, performed between 
the commencement of the spring of 1773, and the 
ensuing month of September, they penetrated thirty 
feet into the solid rock. The rock was blasted with 
great difficulty ; and the vein, which, at the beginning, 
was of the breadth of four feet, had in the progress 
contracted into four inches. Under these circum- 
stances, we desisted, and carried the miners back to the 
Sault.^ What copper-ore we had collected, we sent to 



^ E. B. Borron {Report of the Royal Commission on the Mineral 
Resources of Ontario), gives the supposed location of these oper- 
ations by Henry's company as at Pointe aux Mines, which is 
marked on Bayfield's chart as the north horn of Mica Bay, six 
miles north of Mamainse Harbour. Old copper mines of the 
Quebec' Mining Company (1848-9) were situated here, and 
might be confused with the more ancient workings. See 
Palmer's Account in the Second Report of the Ontario Bureau of 
Mines, p. 171. On a M.S. map in the Crown Lands Depart- 
ment, Toronto, marked, "A sketch of the north shore of Lake 
"Superior collected from the .Journals of a coast survey and 
"remarks made by Lieut. Bennet of the 8th Regiment," and 
signed by P. McNeff, Detroit, October, 1794, a mining location 
is shown sixteen miles north of Point Mamainse and eight 
miles south of Montreal River to which is attached this note, 
" copper mines — some years since an attempt was made here to 
"dig for copper ores, but in a short time declined for what 
"reason cannot say." As this note was made only twenty 
years after Henry's operations, it is almost certain that this 
was his mine. 



1774.] ADVENTURES. 229 

Eng;laiid; but, the next season, we were informed, 
tliat tlie partners there declined entering into further 
expenses. — In the interim, we had carried the miners 
along the north shore, as far as the river Pic, making, 
however, no discovery of ^ importance. This year, 
therefore, 1Y74, Mr. Baxter disposed of the sloop, and 
other effects of the Company, and paid its debts. 

The partners, in England, were His Koyal High- 
ness the Duke of Gloucester^ Mr. Secretary Towns- 
hend, Sir Samuel Tutchet, Baronet; Mr. Baxter, 
Consul of the Empress of Eussia; and Mr, Cruick- 
shank: in America, Sir William Johnson, Baronet; Mr. 
Bostwick, Mr. Baxter and myself. 

A charter had been petitioned for, and obtained; 
but, owing to our ill success, it was never taken from 
the seal-office. 



CHAPTER Vin. 

Author goes into the North-West. Tete de la Lou- 
tre. River Pijitic. Pays Plat. River Nipigon. 
Grand Portage. Gomraercial animosities. Car- 
rying-place. River aux Groseilles. Height of 
Land. Lake Sagunac. Chipeway Village. Lake 
a la Pluie. Second Chipeway Village. River d 
la Pluie. Lake of the Woods. Third Chipeway 
Village. Pelicans. Portage du Rat. River Wini- 
pegon, or Winipic. River Pinawa. Carrying- 
place of the Lost Child. Lake Winipegon. Christ- 
inaux, or Crees — their dress — manners — language. 

PENDIIsTG this enterprise, I had still pursued 
the Indian trade; and on its failure I applied myself 
to that employment with more assiduity than ever, 
and resolved on visiting the countries to the north- 
west of Lake Superior. 

On the 10th day of June, 1775, I left the Sault, 
with goods and provisions to the value of three 
thousand pounds sterling, on board twelve small 
canoes, and four larger ones. The provisions made 
the chief bulk of the cargo; no further supply being 
obtainable, till we should have advanced far into the 
country. Each small canoe was navisrated by three 
men, and each larger one by four. 

On the 20th, we passed the Tete de la Loutre, or 



1775.] TRAVELS, &c. 231 

Otter's Head/ so named from a rock, of about thirty 
feet in heigjht, and fifteen in circumference, and wlaicli 
stands vertically, as if raised by the hand of man. 
What increases the appearance of art, is a hollow in 
the adjacent mass of rock, which its removal might 
be thought to have left. In the evening, we encamped 
at the mouth of the Pijitic,^ a river as large as that of 
Michipicoten, and which in like manner takes its rise 
in the high lands lying between Lake Superior and 
Hudson's Bay, From Michipicoten to the Pijitic, the 
coast of the lake is mountainous: the mountains are 
covered with pine, and the valleys with spruce-fir. 

It was by the river Pijitic* that the French as- 
cended in 1Y50, when they plundered one of the 
factories in Hudson's Bay, and carried off the two 
small pieces of brass cannon which fell again into the 
hands of the English at Michilimackinac,'' On the 

*Accordmg to Carver, it was by the Michipicoten. If he is 
correct, it must have been from Moose Fort, in James Bay, 
and not from Fort Churchill, that they took the cannon. 



1 A well-known point between Michipicoton and Pic River, 
in longitude 86«>, latitude 48° 10'. Dr. Bigsby says, " that it 
"is an upright slab, from thirty to thirty-five feet high, placed 
"on some scantily-clad rocks, 120 feet above the lake and at an 
"interval from it, which, though looking small, is much greater 
"than it appears." Shoe and Canoe, London, 1850, Vol. 2., 
p. 208. 

Now known as the White River which flows out of White 
Lake. 

3 This is clearly a mistake on Henry's part, owing to his 
giving credence to some untrustworthy tradition of the voy- 



232 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

river are a band of Wood Indians, who are sometimes 
troublesome to the traders passing. 

On the 21st, I left the Pijitic, and crossing; a bay, 
three leagues in breadth, landed on Pic Island. From 
Pic Island, I coasted ten leag'ues, and then encamped 
on an island opposite the Pays Plat, or Plat Country, 
a name borrowed from the Indians, and occasioned by 
the shoal-water which here extends far into the -lake, 
and by the flat and low lands which lie between the 
water and the mountains. 

The Pays Plat is intersected by several large 
rivers, and particularly the ]S[ipig;on, so called after 



ageurs. The capture of Forts Hayes, Rupert and Albany was 
made by de Troyes and d'Iberville, in 1686, and their route was 
by the Ottawa, Lake Abitibi, Abitibi and Moose Rivers. 
To come as far west as Michipicoton would have taken them much 
out of their way. Some of the Canadians who accompanied the 
force may have wished to return to Michilimackinac and 
naturally would take the shortest and most direct route by 
the Moose and Michipicoton Rivers, and thus give rise to the 
tradition. They may have also brought with them, the 
guns which Henry saw at Michilimackinac (ante, p. 41). 
In the inventory of Artillery in Canada in 1749 it was 
stated that there were four brass half-pounders at Mich- 
ilimackinac, which appear to be the only guns of this 
calibre in the country. No doubt they were the same, 
and their light weight would afford an explanation of 
their carriage over the portages. It is curious how frequently 
modern writers have copied this statement of the capture in 
1750, while Carver, whom Henry and those who quote him 
refer to, expressly says that it occurred in the reign of Queen 
Anne. That it was sixteen years earlier shows how tradi- 
tional the story had become. 




-__^»<«5:?3« 




Map of the North Shore of Lake Superior, 1794. 

Reduced to one-half the ske of the origiiial in the Croivn Lmuls 1 'epm-tment of 
Ontario, Toronto. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 233 

Lake Mpi^on, of whicli it is the discharge. By this 
river, the French carried on a considerable trade 
with the Northern Indians.* They had a fort or 
trading-house at its month, and annually drew from it 
a hundred packs of beaver, of a quality more in esteem 
than that from the north-west. They had another 



* The large island of St. lornace, which with some smaller 
islands forms the breakwater to Nipigon Bay, is about thirty 
miles from the mouth of the river. The bay is well described 
in Grant's Ocean to Ocean, p. 23, 1873. The Nipigon River, 
famous for the size and vigour of its trout, flows almost due 
south out of Lake Nipigon and is about thirty-one miles long. 
It is the largest river flowing into Lake Superior, but is not 
navigable by large vessels as its course is interrupted by 
many rapids and falls. As early as 1661, Radisson and Gros- 
eilliers had ascended the river and reported in Quebec that the 
furs were of superior quality, the Indians numerous, and that a 
route existed to the English forts on Hudson's Bay. Duluth 
was despatched by De la Barre in 1684 to induce the Indians to 
refrain from going to the English forts, and to erect a French 
fort on the Nipigon River. M. Denonville writing to M. De 
Seignelay, from Montreal, in 1687, says, " Du I'Hut's brother, 
"who has recently arrived from the rivers above the lake of 
"the Allenemipigons (now Lake Ste. Anne, north of Lake 
"Superior) assures me that he saw more than 1,500 persons 
" come to trade with him." The site of the fort was afterwards 
occupied by a new fort built by the Hudson's Bay Company. 
A station of the Canadian Pacific Railway and a small village 
are about two miles north of it. The name which at first 
appears to have been applied to the lake was Alimibegong (Le 
Mercier, 1667) ; Alempigon (Long, 1777). Duncan Cameron, 
a trader in 1800, says, "the lake was called by the Indians 
" Aminipigon, which the French for brevity called Nipigon." 
The meaning of the word is said by Dr. Robert Bell to be, 
"Deep, clear water lake," an accurate descriptive title. 



234 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

trading-house at Cammistiquia^ — As we proceed 
north-west along; the lake, the mountains recede widely 
from the beach. 

On the 24th, I left the northern shore, and in four 
days reached the Grand Portage. The intervening 

5 Kaministiquia is the modern form of the name. It has 
appeared under different disguises since the first discovery of 
the river. La Verendrye gives it as Gamanestigona ; La 
Hontan, Camanistigoyan ; Mackenzie, Caministiquia ; Harmon, 
Kaminitiquia, all evidently forms of the Cree, Kaministikweia, 
meaning, "where there are islands in the river." It is 403 
miles from the Sault Ste. Marie, in latitude 48° 20' N. and 
longtitude 89° 20' 30" west of Greenwich. A fort was built 
about half a mile from the mouth of the river in 1678, by 
D. G. Duluth, which La Hontan says "he made a large raaga- 
"zine of goods and which did considerable disservice to the 
"English settlements in Hudson's Bay." It was one of a 
series of stations intended to cut off the inland trade of the 
English and confine them to the shores of Hudson's Bay. The 
fort was rebuilt by La Noue in 1717, but was again abandoned, 
until 1804 when a new and larger building was erected by the 
North- West Company which was named Fort William, after 
William MacGillivray, a prominent member of the company. 
Prom this time the entire traffic of the North- West and the 
Hudson's Bay companies with Eastern Canada passed down the 
Kaministiquia River. In the Fort, yearly meetings of the 
factors of the North-West Company from the West and East, 
were held to discuss their affairs, and the reunion was cele- 
brated with festivities which have been brilliantly painted by 
Irving. After the opening of the Dawson route. Fort William 
became the port for the western traffic, but on the building of 
the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Lake Superior terminus was 
transferred to Port Arthur, in Thunder Bay, eight miles 
distant. See Hind's Canadian Exploring Expedition, London, 
1860, Vol. 1, p. 24 ; and S. J. Dawson's Report on the Explor- 
ations betveen Lake Superior and the Red River, Toronto, 1859. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 235 

isLands consist almost entirely in rock. Tlie largest, 
called He an Tonnerre, or Thunder Island, is said, by 
the Indians, to be peculiarly subject to thunder-storms. 
At the Grand Portage, I found the traders in a state 
of extreme reciprocal hostility, each pursuing his in- 
terests in such a manner as might most injure his 
neighbour. The consequences were very hurtful to 
the morals of the Indians.*^ 

^ Henry is now entering the usual route from Lake Superior 
to Lake Winnipeg by the Pigeon and Rainy Rivers. The 
geographical names he gives along this route are mainly the 
French, or voyageurs' names, and every one is found in the 
narratives of other early travellers, who preceded or followed 
him along this well-known thoroughfare. The Grand Portage 
at first referred to the nine mile carrying-place to surmount the 
numerous falls near the outlet of Pigeon River, but soon 
was applied to the landing-place at the commencement of the 
portage, on Lake Superior, a few miles south of the mouth of 
the river. It is within the present State of Minnesota, 
Pigeon River forming the boundary between this State and 
the Province of Ontario. La Verendrye and his sons were the 
first Frenchmen to cross this great watershed which separated 
the great lakes from the rivers flowing to the north and west, 
and though their enterprise met with partial disaster they event- 
ually succeeded in their undertaking, reaching the Red River 
where they established some permanent forts. The French 
traders and their English successors followed in their footsteps 
until this became the established route to the North-West. In 
1804 the American government imposed a duty of from twenty 
to twenty-five per cent, on all goods carried over the portage, 
and compelled the North-West Company to transfer their fort 
to the Kaministiquia and adopt that route. The younger 
Henry passing over in 1800 recorded the different steps of his 
journey at greater length, and Mr. Coues in annotating this 
portion of it, entered into such minute details that any- 
one following him, can only refer the reader to his notes. 



236 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

The transportation of the ^oods at this grand 
portage, or great carrying-place, was a work of seven 
days of severe and dangerous exertion, at the end of 
which we encamped on the river Aux Groseilles.*^ The 
Grand Portage consists in two ridges of land, between 
which is a deep glen or valley, with good meadow- 
lands, and a broad stream of water. The lowlands are 
covered chieflv with birch and poplar, and the high 
with pine. I was now in what is technically called the 
north-west; that is, the country north-west of Lake 
Superior. The canoes here employed are smaller than 
those which are used between Montreal and Michili- 
mackinac, and in Lake Superior; being only four 
fathom and a half in length. It is the duty of the 
head and stem men to carry the canoe. I engaged 

*The same with what a recent traveller describes as the 
" river du Tourt," (Tourtre,)— " Dove or Pigeon river." 



Refftrence is also made to Bigsby's iihoe and Canoe, Vol. 2; 
the Reports of the Commissions on the North American Bound- 
aries, 1838-42; and Hind's Canadian Exploring Expedition, 
2 vols., London, 1860, where is given in Appendix XII., a 
" table of the Portages, Decharges, Rapids, Lakes, Lake Straits 
and Navigable Waters on the Pigeon River route from Lake 
Superior to Rainy Lake, showing their lengths and distances 
from Lake Superior." 

■^ The name of this river has undergone some curious changes. 
The earliest form ip that of Grosseilliers so named from the 
companion of Radisson in the seventeenth century, whence it 
became altered to aux Groseilles from some fancied connection 
with the wild gooseberry. After Henry's visit the name was 
changed to Riviere aux Tourtres, or the River of Turtles, 
referring to the wild pigeon. Mackenzie calls it Au Tourt. 
It has long been known as the Pigeon River. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 237 

two of these to winter with me, at the wages of four 
h-undred dollars each, and an equipment of the value, 
at the Grand Portage, of one hundred more. 

On the eighth, we ascended the Groseilles, to the 
carrying-place called the Portage du Perdrix,*' where 
the river falls down a precipice of the height of a 
hundred feet. At the place, where, after passing the 
Grand Portage, we first launched our canoes on the 
Groseilles, the stream is thirty yards wide. From this 
spot, it proceeds, with numerous falls, to Lake 
Superior, which it enters about six leagues® to the 
northward of the Grand Portage. 

Next day, at the Portage aux Outardes,^" we left 
the Groseilles, and carrying our canoes and merchan- 
dise for three miles, over a mountain, came at length 



^ Both the younger Henry and H. Y. Hind use the English 
form of the name, which is the one in common use, Partridge 
Portage. 

^ This is an error as the distance is barely ten miles. 

^"Outarde means "wild goose." It is translated simply 
"goose" wherever the term occurs among geographical names. 
The younger Henry calls it Outarde Portage ; Mackenzie, 
Outard Portage ; and H. Y. Hind, Fowl Portage. Henry 
omits to mention a Portage between the Perdrix Portage and 
the Outarde Portage. But as he calls the latter three miles 
long, he probably combines Deer or Caribou Portage with the 
Outarde Portage proper. He greatly exaggerated its length or 
took a different course from that usually followed in latter 
times; its length is 2,400 paces (Mackenzie); 2,172 yards 
(Thompson) ; 2,000 yards (Hind) ; 1,748 yards (Coues). 



238 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

to a small lake." This was the beginning of a chain of 
lakes, extending for fifteen leagues, and separated bj 
carrying-places of from half a mile to three miles in 
length. At the end of this chain, we reached the 
heads of small streams which flow to the north-west- 
ward. The region of the lakes is called the Hauteur 
de Terre, or Land's Height. It is an elevated tract of 
country, not inclining in any direction, and diversified 
on its surface with small hills. The wood is abundant; 
but consists principally in birch, pine, spruce-fir and a 
small quantity of maple. 

By the twelfth, we arrived where the streams were 
large enough to float the canoes, with their lading, 
though the men walked in the water, pushing them 
along. 'Next day, we found them sufficiently navi- 
gable, though interrupted by frequent falls and carry- 
ing-places. On the twentieth, we reached Lake 
Sagunac, or Saginaga, distant sixty leagues from the 
Grand Portage.^^ This was the hithermost post in the 



" The one meant is evidently Outarde or Fowl Lake. The 
largest of these small lakes are, Moose, Mountain, Watab, 
Rose and Perche. 

^-Henry's recollection of the numerous lakes has here failed 
him. Lake Sagunac or Saginaga (the present Seiganagah) is 
only 77 miles from Grand Portage, not 180 miles — and is 10 
miles long, not 24 miles. In 1800 his nephew reached Sagin- 
aga in seven days and Lake Nequaquon in ten days, while 
Henry's itinerary shows that he took twelve days to reach 
what he calls Lake Saginaga. Lake Nequaquon is 151 miles 
from Grand Portage and is 22 miles long. Like Lake Saginaga 
it is full of islands. As Henry speaks of entering Rainy Lake 
almost immediately after, he would be, if at Lake Nequaquon, 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 239 

north-west, establislied by the Frencli: and tliere was 
formerly a large village of Chipeways here, now de- 
stroyed by the l!^adowessies. I found only three 
lodges, filled with poor, dirty and almost naked inhabi- 
tants, of whom I bought fish and wild rice,* which 
latter they had in great abundance. When populous, 
this village used to be troublesome . to the traders, 
obstructing their voyages, and extorting liquor and 
other articles. Lake Sagunac is eight leagues in length 
by four in breadth. The lands, which are every where 
covered with spruce, are hilly on the south-west; but, 
on the north-east more level. My men were by this 
time almost exhausted with fatigue ; but, the chief part 
of the labour was fortunately past. 

We now entered Lake a la Pluie,^^ which is fifteen 
leagues long, by five broad. Its banks are covered 
*Folle avoine, avena fatua, zizania aquatica. 



within 51 miles of it, while if at Lake Saginaga he would be 
151 miles distant. It is evident therefore that he was thinking 
of Lake Nequaquon, a lake commonly known as Lac la Croix or 
Cross. It is by the Malign or Sturgeon River which enters at 
the north-east corner of this lake that the route from Fort 
William rejoins the older route to Lake Winnipeg. 

^^ Rainy Lake or Lac a la Pluie is 225 miles west of Lake 
Superior and is divided by the boundary line between Minn- 
esota and Ontario. The lake is most irregular in form, with 
deep bays and great numbers of islands. Roughly speaking it 
is 50 miles long by 38|^ broad, with a shore line of about 300 
miles. The canoe route to the Rainy River crossing one 
portion of the lake is about 40 miles long. The name is from 
the mist, like rain, which is raised by the Falls of the Chaudiere 
at the entrance to the Rainy River. 



240 TRAVELS ANDf [A.D. 

with maple and birch. Our encampment was at the 
mouth of the lake, where there is a fall of water of 
forty feet, called the Chute de la Chaudiere. The 
carrying-place is two hundred yards in length.^* On the 
next evening, we encamped at Les Fourches,'^ on the 
River a la Pluie, where there was a village of Chipe- 
ways, of fifty lodges, of whom I bought ncAv canoes. 
They insisted further on having goods given to them 
on credit, as well as on receiving some presents. The 
latter they regarded as an established tribute, paid 
them on account of the ability which they possessed, 
to put a stop to all trade with the interior. I gave 
them rum, with which they became drunk and trouble- 
some; and in the night I left them. 

The River a la Pluie is forty leagues long, of a 
gentle current, and broken only by one rapid. Its 
banks are level to a great distance, and composed of a 

^* The French post, Fort St. Pierre, was established here by 
La iVerendrye in 1731, and the Hudson's Bay post. Fort 
Frances, occupies a site not far from its ruins. The locks for 
a canal to surmount the Falls have been commenced and the 
Village of Alberton, Ont. has grown round it. The carrying- 
place here is called the Chaudiere Portage by the younger 
Henry, and the name has remained in use to the present time. 
Illustrations of the Fort and Falls will be found in Hind's 
Canadian Exploring Expedition, Vol. 1, p. 81, 1860. 

^^ There are two Forks, the Little Forks and the Big Forks, 
the latter twenty-two miles below Rainy Lake, where the Big 
Forks River (sometimes called Big Elk River) enters the Rainy 
River from the State of Minnesota. Henry probably refers to 
the Big Forks, as his nephew also saw a few Indians camped 
there, and called the place Grande Fourche. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 241 

fine soil, whicli was covered with luxuriant grass. 
They were perfect solitudes, not even a canoe present- 
ing itself, along my whole navigation of the stream. I 
was greatly struck with the beauty of the scene, as 
well as with its fitness for agricultural settlements, in 
which provisions might be raised for the north-west. 

On the thirtieth, we reached the Lake of the Woods, 
or Lake des lies/'' at the entrance of which was an In- 
dian village, of a hundred souls, where we obtained a 
further supply of fish. Fish appeared to be the sum- 
mer food. 

From this village, we received ceremonious presents. 
The mode with the Indians is, first to collect all the 
provisions they can spare, and place them in a heap; 
after which they send for the trader, and address him 
in a formal speech. They tell him, that the Indians 
are happy in seeing him return to their country; that 
they have been long in expectation of his arrival ; that 

^^ The Lake of the Woods is a translation of the Lac des Bois 
of the early French traders, though Lac des Isles used by 
La France in 1740 was long used as an alternative. It is about 
75 miles in length and breadth and is broken up into three 
distinct lakes by a long promontory and some islands. The dis- 
tance from Grand Portage by the Pigeon River route is 325 
miles and by the route from Fort William 381 miles. It is his- 
torically of great interest, as the North- West corner of the lake 
was fixed by the treaty of 1783 as the starting point of the 
American boundary westward, the negotiators being under the 
impression that it was on the forty -ninth parallel, north latitude. 
Subsequent measurements showed that it stood in 49^ 37', and 
after much negotiation and fresh surveys, the curious indenta- 
tion called the North- West angle was accepted by both coun- 
tries in 1876. 
16 



242 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

their wives have deprived themselves of their provi- 
sions, iu order to afford him a supply; that they are in 
great want, being destitute of every thing, and parti- 
cularly of ammunition and clothing; and that what 
they most long for, is a taste of his rum, which they 
uniformly denominate milh. 

The present, in return, consisted in one keg of 
gunpowder, of sixty pounds weight; a bag of shot, a;nd 
another of powder, of eighty pounds each; a few 
smaller articles, and a keg of rum. The last appeared 
to be the chief treasure, though on the former depend- 
ed the greater part of their winter's subsistence. 

In a short time, the men began to drink, while 
the women brought me a further and very valuable 
present, of twenty bags of rice. This I returned with 
goods and rum, and at the same time offered more, for 
an additional quantity of rice. A trade was opened, 
the women bartering rice, while the men were drink- 
ing. Before morning, I had purchased a hundred 
bags, of nearly a bushel measure each. Without a 
large quantity of rice, the voyage could not have been 
prosecuted to its completion. The canoes, as I have 
already observed, are not large enough to carry provi- 
sions, leaving merchandise wholly out of the question. 
— The rice grows in shoal water, and the Indians 
gather it by shaking the ears into their canoes. 

When morning arrived, all the village was in- 
ebriated; and the danger of misunderstanding was in- 
creased by the facility with which the women abandon- 
ed themselves to my Canadians. In consequence, I 
lost no time in leaving the place. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 243 

On the first day of August, we encamped on a sandy 
island in the Lake of the Woods, where we were visited 
by several canoes, of whom we purchased wild rice. 
On the fourth, we reached the Portage du Rat." 

The Lake of the Woods is thirty-six leagues long. 
On the west side is an old French fort or trading-house, 
formerly frequented by numerous bands of Chipeways, 
but these have since been almost entirely destroyed by 
the JSTadowessies. When strong, they were trouble- 
some. On account of a particular instance of pillage, 
they have been called Pilleurs. The pelican^^ is 
numerous on this lake. One, which we shot, agreed 
entirely with the description of M. de Buffon. 



" A detailed account; of the portages and of the three outlets 
of the Winnipeg River from the Lake of the Woods, with a 
map showing the position of the Hudson's Bay Company's old 
post there, will be found in the Fifth Report of the Ontario 
Bureau of Mines, pp. 168-171. It is there made clear that the 
Portage du Rat of the old voyageurs was at the most westerly 
outlet, the one now known as Keewatin Channel, three and a 
half miles west of the town of Rat Portage. The name is said 
to have originated from the habit of muskrats crossing in great 
numbers. Hind's Canadian Exploring Expedition, Vol. 1, 
chap, v., is devoted to a very interesting description of Rat 
Portage and the Winnipeg River, with some illustrations of 
the scenery. The reader is also referred to Butler's Great 
Lone Land, p. 143, London, 1872. 

^^ Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos. The American White Pelican, 
breeds in large numbers in the lakes and marshes west and 
north of Lake Superior, but only occasional specimens have 
been seen to the east of it. It was therefore a new bird to 
Henry, which accounts for his noting it. 



244 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

On the fifth, we passed the Portage du Rat, which 
is formed by a rock of about twenty yards long. 
Here, we met several canoes of Indians, who all 
begged for mm; but, they were known to belong to 
the band of Pilleurs, also called the rogues, and were 
on that account refused. 

From the Portage du Rat, we descended the great 
river Winipegon, which is there from one mile to two 
in breadth, and at every league grows broader. The 
channel is deep, but obstructed by many islands, of 
which some are large. Por several miles, the stream is 
confined between perpendicular rocks. The current is 
strong, and the navigation singularly difiicult. With- 
in the space of fifteen leagues, there are seven falls, of 
from fifty feet to a hundred in height.^'' At sixty 
leagues from our entrance of the Winipegon, we 
crossed a carrving-place into the Pinawac; below 
which, the dangers of the Winipegon are still further 
increased. The adjacent lands are mountainous and 
rocky; but, some of the high hills are well covered with 
birch and maple. 



1^ The modern Winnipeg River. The name is derived from a 
Cree word, meaning turbid water. Almost every possible 
variation in the spelling may be found in the narratives of the 
early writers. Henry is alone in the use of Winnipegon. 
C. N. Bell has given a long list of these variations in the 
Transactions of the Manitoba Historical Society, 18S5. The 
route follows the river for about one hundred miles when it 
turns sharply to the right, following the branch known as the 
Pinawa, until it rejoins the main stream at Bonnet Lake. 
The course is changed to avoid the dreaded portages on this 
portion of the Winnipeg River. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 245 

The stream of tlie Pinawa is shallow, and its bed 
rocky and broken. The carrying-places are eight in 
number. The mosquitoes were here in such clouds as 
to prevent us from taking aim at the ducks, of which 
we might else have shot many. 

On the thirteenth, we encamped at the Carrying- 
place of the Lost Child. Here is a chasm in the rock, 
no where more than two yards in breadth, but of gTeat 
and immeasurable depth. The Indians relate, that 
many ages past, a child fell into this chasm, from the 
bottom of which it is still heard, at times, to cry. In 
all the wet lands, wild rice grows plentifully. 

The Pinawa is twenty leagues long,^" and discharges 
itself into Lake du Bonnet,* at three leagues to the 
north of the mouth of the Winipegon, which falls into 
the same lake, or rather forms it; for Lake du Bonnet 
is only a broadened part of the channel of the Wini- 
pegon. The lake is two leagues broad; and the river, 
in its course below, continues broader than it is above, 
with many islands and deep falls: the danger of the 
navigation, however, is lessened. 

On the sixteenth, we reached Lake Winipegon, at 
* Cap Lake, in some maps written Cat Lake. 



20 Henry's distances on this part of his route are hopelessly 
astray. The total length of the Winnipeg River is about 160 
miles. The Pinawa is eighteen miles long and falls into Lake 
Bonnet not more than ten miles from the mouth of the main 
stream. The lake does not exceed five miles in width. 



246 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

the entrance of which is a large village of Christinaux,^^ 
a nation which I had not previously seen. The name 
is variously written; as, Cristinaux, Kinistineaux, 
Killistinoes and Killistinaux. - Lake Winipecon is 
sometimes called the Lake of the Eallistinons, or 
Cristinaux. The dress and other exterior appearances 
of the Cristinaux are very distinguishable from those 
of the Chipeways and the Wood Indians. 

The men were almost entirely naked, and their 
bodies painted with a red ochre, procured in the moun- 
tains, and often called vermilion. Every man and 
boy had his bow strung and in his hand, and his arrow 
ready, to attack in case of need. Their heads were 
shaved, or the hair plucked out, all over, except a spot 
on the crown, of the diameter of a dollar. On this 
spot, the hair grew long, and was rolled and gathered 
into a tuft; and the tuft, which is an object of the 
greatest care was covered with a piece of skin. The 
ears were pierced, and filled with the bones of fish 
and of land animals. — Such was the costume of the 
young men; but, among the old, some let their hair 
grow on all parts of their head, without any seeming 
regard. 

2^ As Henry says nothing of the remains of the French Fort 
established here by La "Verendrye in 1734 it must have fallen 
into ruins before his arrival. It was named Fort Maurepas 
after Comte de Maurepas, the celebrated minister under Louis 
XV. and Louis XVI. Both the North-West Company and the 
Hudson's Bay Company had establishments here before the end 
of the century, the former being first known as Fort Alexander 
and afterwards as Fort Bas de la Riviere. It is now known by 
the former appellation. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 247 

The woine];! wear their hair of a great length, both 
behind and before, dividing it on the forehead and at 
the back of the head, and collecting the hair of each 
side into a roll, which is fastened above the ear; and 
this roll, like the tuft on the heads of the men, is cover- 
ed with a piece of skin. The skin is painted, or else 
ornamented with beads of various colours. The rolls, 
with their coverings, resemble a pair of large horns. 
The ears of the women are pierced and decorated, like 
those of the men. 

Their clothing is of leather, or dressed skins of 
the wild ox^^ and the elk. The dress, falling from the 
shoulders to below the knee, is of one entire piece. 
Girls of an early age wear their dresses shorter than 
those more advanced. The same garment covers the 
shoulders and the bosom: and is fastened by a strap 
which passes over the shoulders: it is confined about 
the waist by a girdle. The stockings are of leather, 
made in the fashion of leggings. The arms, to the 
shoulders, are left naked, or are provided with sleeves, 
which are sometimes put on, and sometimes suffered to 
hang vacant from the shoulders. The wrists are adorn- 
ed with bracelets of copper or brass, manufactured 
from old kettles. In general, one person is worth but 
one dress; and this is worn as long as it will last, or till 
a new one is made, and then thrown away. 



22 Throughout this narrative, Henry in^^common with all the 
early writers, calls the buffalo "wild ox," and does not use 
the word "buffalo" except in speaking of their hides as 
"buffalo-robes," a term he uses synonymously with "ox-skins." 
He explains at page 265 that the name buffalo-robe was then 
used by traders. 



248 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

The women, like the men, paint their faces with red 
ochre; and in addition usually tatoo two lines, reach- 
ing from the lip to the chin, or from the comers of the 
mouth to the ears. They omit nothing to make them- 
selves lovely. 

Meanwhile, a favourite employment is that of wag- 
ing war with certain animals which are in abundance 
on their persons, and which, as they catch, they eat. To 
frequent inquiries, as to the motive for eating them, I 
was always answered, that they afforded a medicinal 
food, and great preventive of diseases. 

Such are the exterior beauties of the female Cris- 
tinaux; and, not content with the power belonging to 
these attractions, they condescend to beguile, with 
gentle looks, the hearts of passing strangers. The 
men, too, unlike the Chipeways, (who are of a jealous 
temper), eagerly encourage them in this design. One 
of the chiefs assured me, that the children, borne by 
their women to Europeans, were bolder warriors, and 
better hunters, than themselves. 

The Cristinaux have usually two wives each, and 
often three; and make no difficulty in lending one of 
them, for a length of time, to a friend. Some of my 
men entered into agreements with the respective hus- 
bands, in virtue of which they embarked the women in 
the canoes, promising to return them the next year. 
The women, so selected, consider themselves as 
honoured; and the husband, who should refuse to lend 
his wife, would fall under the condemnation of the sex 
in general. 

^ The abbreviative form of this name (Cree), is now univers- 
ally applied to these Indians. They still form one of the 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 249 

The langruage of the Cristinaux is a dialect of the 
Algonquin, and therefore bears some affinity to that 
of the Chipeway, which is another dialect of the same.^ 
In the north-west, it is commonly called Cree, or Cris. 



largest divisions of the Algonquin nation and extend over a 
vast area of country. The Crees are divided into three divi- 
sions, the Prairie Crees, chiefly living on the prairies in the 
territories of Alberta and Assiniboia, the Wood Crees in 
northern Alberta and Athabasca and the Swampy Crees in the 
country lying between the Red River, Hudson's Bay and Lake 
Superior. It was a party of these latter whom Henry met on 
the Ottawa River, in August 1761. They are estimated at the 
present time to number about 12,000, of whom 10,000 are under 
treaty arrangements with the Canadian Government. Educa- 
tional and missionary work has been carried on among them by 
missionaries of different denominations, with considerable suc- 
cess and almost all can read. This is mainly due to the genius 
of James Evans, a Methodist missionary, who invented a 
syllabic system by which the process of learning to read has 
been much shortened. The syllabary has been adopted for the 
printed books of all religious bodies and is used by the Crees 
for their own communications. Much interesting information 
about them will be found in Kane's Wanderings of an Artist, 
Hind's Canadian Exploring Expedition^ the Earl of Southesk's 
Saskatchetoan and the Rocky Mountains, Butler's Wild North 
Land, MacLean's Canadian Savage Folk, (Toronto 1896), Mac- 
Lean's James Evans, (Toronto, 1890) and Franklin's Narrative 
of a Journey to the Polar Sea in 1819-22. 

Grammars of the Cree language have been prepared by 
J. Howse, J. Horden, P^re Lacombe and Dictionaries by Pere 
Lacombe and E. A. Watkins. A full bibliography will be 
found under article Cree in Pilling' s Bibliography of the Algon- 
quian Languages. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Voyage in the North-West continued. Snow-storm. 
River de Bourbon, Pasquayah, or Sascatchiwaine. 
Grand Rapide. Lake Winipegon — dimensions, 
&c. Lake de Bourhon, or Cedar Lake. Fort de 
Bourbon. River Pasquayah. Pasquayah Village 
— Traders forced to comply with the demands of 
the Indians. Cumberland House. Sturgeon Lake. 
River Maligne. Beaver Lake. Build a Fort — 
and winter in it. 

THE Cristinaux made me the usual presents of 
wild rice and dried meat, and accompanied tliem with, 
the usual formalities. I remained at their village two 
days, repairing my canoes; and though they were 
drunk the whole time, they behaved very peaceably, 
and gave me no annoyance, I observed that two men 
constantly attended us, and that these individuals 
could not be prevailed upon to taste liquor. They had 
been assigned us for a guard; and they would not 
allow any drunken Indian to approach our camp. 

On the eighteenth of August, I left these amicable 
people, among whom an intercourse with Europeans 
appeared to have occasioned less deviation from their 
primitive manners, than in anv instance which I had 
previously discovered. I kept the north side of the 
lake/ and had not proceeded far before I was joined 



1 Lake Winnipeg lies north-west by north, so that Henry 
should have said the east side of the lake. That he was not 



1775.] TRAVELS, &c. 251 

hj Mr. Pond, a trader of some celebrity in the north.- 
west.^ Next day, we encountered a severe gale, from 
the dangers of which we escaped, by making the island 
called the Buffalo's Head; but, not without the loss of 

ignorant of the direction is apparent on page 256, where he 
gives the correct course. For some reason it is not uncommon 
to find the same use of north for east, etc., in other narratives 
by early fur traders in this region. 

^ Peter Pond was one of the earliest English-speaking fur 
traders to enter the North-West. He was at Fort Dauphin in 
1775-6, Sturgeon River (Saskatchewan) 1776-8 and at Lake 
Athabasca and its vicinity during the next few years. To this 
latter place which had been hitherto unknown to the Canadian 
traders except by Indian report, Mr. Pond had gone in charge of 
a large quantity of goods, a joint venture of the traders on the 
Saskatchewan. He was successful beyond their most sanguine 
anticipations and almost destroyed the Hudson's Bay Company's 
trade at Fort Churchill. In 1780 a Mr. Wadin who had gone 
to the North- West was given a quantity of goods for trade, by 
some merchants at the Grand Portage, who nominated Mr. Pond 
as their representative to act in conjunction with him. The 
partnership was an unfortunate one as the men were of entirely 
different dispositions. At a dinner given by Mr. Wadin to Mr. 
Pond and his clerk, the host was shot through the lower part of 
the thigh and died during the night. Pond and his clerk were 
tried at Montreal for the murder and acquitted, but public 
opinion held them guilty, influenced probably by stories of his 
cruelty to the Indians and recklessness of life. He sold his 
share in the North -West Company to William McGillivray for 
£800, at the commencement of the twenty share concern in 
1790, and we hear no more about him. Peter Pond's old house 
at Athabasca was a well-known land mark for many years after 
his death. Some biographical particulars may be found in the 
Canadian Archives 1889, p. xxxvi ; 1890, pp. xxv-xxvi. The last 
mentioned volume contains a memorial by him dated April 
18th, 1785, accompanied by his early map of the North-West. 



252 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

a canoe and four men.^ The shores, from the entrance 
of this lake to the island, with exception of the points, 
are rocky and lofty: the points are rocky, but low. 
The wood is pine and fir. We took pouts, cat-fish, or 
cat-heads, of six pounds weif2;ht. 

On the twenty-first, we crossed to the south shore, 
and reached Oak- point, so called from a few scrub 
oaks, which here be^n to diversify the forest of pine 
and fir. The pelicans, which we every where saw, 
appeared to be impatient of the lonc^ stay we made in 
fishine^. Leaving the island, we found the lands along 
the shore low, and wooded witli birch and marsh-maple 
intermixed with spruce-fir. The beach is gravelly, 
and the points rocky. 

To the westward of Pike-river,* which we passed on 
the first of September, is a rock, of great length, called 
the Roche Rouge, and entire!}'' composed of a pi^rre a 
calumet, or stone used by the Indians for making 

3 This island was close to the point on the east shore, known 
to Alexander Mackenzie as Bull's Head, to Sir John Franklin 
as Ox's Head and to H. Y. Hind and recent topographers as 
BuflFalo Head. The point is in north lat. 51'' 30', opposite to 
the group of islands of which Great Black Island is the largest. 

Pike River on the west side of Lake Winnipeg has been 
known as the Jack-fish or Pike-head River, but is now officially 
known as the Jack-head River. The younger Henry preserves 
this latter name in the French, Tete du Brochet. It issues 
from a marsh separated from the lake by a belt of sand and 
shingle about one hundred yards broad. The river is about 
thirty feet wide at its mouth but becomes broader and deeper in 
the swamp and above it. It is a famous Cree fishing place and 
was at one time a missionary station. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 253 

tobacco-pipe bowls. It is of a light red colour, inter- 
spersed with veins of brown, and yields very readily to 
the knife.^ 

On the seventh of September, we were overtaken 
by Messrs. Joseph and Thomas Frobisher,^ and Mr. 

^ Mr. Dowling of the Geological Survey of Canada, who has 
devoted much time to a study of Lake Winnipeg, says, that 
" Henry's whereabouts on September 1st was not probably 
much past Dog Head. From Jack-fish Pointto Kin wow Bay, the 
shores are all low and there are no clifi's or exposures of rock, 
but after passing Kinwow Bay he would round McBeth Point 
and Cat Head and there he would meet a long cliff of evenly 
coloured dolomite somewhat like lithographic stone and of a 
dark-yellow colour. Some of the darker beds might have been 
described by ' light red colour ' as stated in the text. The 
stone is of the consistency of limestone and could be carved by 
knives or sawn with the ordinary steel saw." To this Dr. 
Dawson, Director of the Survey, adds, "Dolomite, when fine- 
grained, was often used in making pipes by the Ontario Indians. 
It takes a good polish, but is of course not to be confounded 
with the proper red pipe-stone or catlinite which is only found 
at one place in Dakota." 

^This was not the first venture of the Frobishers in the 
North- West. They appear to have been fur-traders from 
Montreal and had been among the number of those at Grand 
Portage who found the mutual bickering so disagreeable and 
injurious to trade. Joseph determined to penetrate into the 
country yet unexplored to the north and north-west, and in 
the spring of the year 1774 and 1775 met the Indians from 
these quarters, on their way to Fort Churchill, on the banks of 
the Missinipi, Churchill or English River, in latitude 55° 25 
north and longitude 103° 25' west. He met with some difficulty 
in persuading the Indians to deal with him, but at length 
succeeded in procuring as many furs as his canoes could carry. 
Pond's map, Oanadian Archives, 1890, notes at this place. 



254 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Patterson/ On the twentieth, we crossed the bay to- 
gether, composing a fleet of thirty canoes, and a hun- 
dred and thirty men. We were short of provisions. 

On the twenty-first, it blew hard, and snow began 
to falL The storm continued till the twenty-fifth, by 

"Mr. Frobisher in 1774, called Fort de Trait." This fort was 
situated at the northern end of Portage de Trait or Trade 
Portage leading from the Saskatchewan waters to the Churchill 
River. The names English River and Fort de Trait were 
both given by him. In 1774, this was the most northerly post 
occupied by any of the Canadian traders or Hudson's Bay 
Company. Even before this Joseph Frobisher appears to 
have wintered on the Red River. In the account of the Red 
River by John McDonnell, 1793-1795, Masson's Bourgeois du 
Nord-Ouest, Vol. 1., p. 268, it is stated that "two or three 
leagues above Riviere aux Morts is a clear spot on which Mr. 
Joseph Frobisher is said to have passed a winter, and is called 
Fort h M. Frobisher." He was probably the earliest English- 
man to build a fort on Red River. In 1775 Thomas explored 
the country to the west and penetrated as far as the lake of the 
Isle a la Crosse at the mouth of the Beaver River in longitude 
108° west. Mackenzie says that Joseph "never after wintered 
among the Indians, though he retained a large interest in the 
trade and a principal share in the direction of it till the year 
1798, when he retired to enjoy the fruits of his labours ; and 
by his hospitality, became known to every respectable stranger 
who visited Canada." In the Anglican Parish Register of 
Montreal for January, 1779, printed in the Canadian Archives, 
1885, the name of Joseph Frobisher appears as marrying Miss 
Charlotte Joubert. A tombstone in the old Protestant bury- 
ing-ground, Dorchester Street, Montreal, bore the name of 
Thomas Frobisher, who died September 12th, 1788, aged 
44 years. — Canadian Archives, 1889, p. xvi. 

^ In all likelihood Mr. Patterson or Paterson was the partner 
of McGill in the sixteen share concern which preceded the 
North-West Company. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 255 

whicli time tlie small lakes were frozen over, and two 
feet of snow lay on level ground, in tlie woods. This 
early severity of the season filled us with serious 
alarms; for the country was uninhabited for two hun- 
dred miles on every side of us, and if detained by win- 
ter, our destruction was certain. In this state of peril, 
we continued our voyage day and night. The fears of 
our men were a sufficient motive for their exertions. 

On the first of October, we gained the mouth of the 
River de Bourbon, Pasquayah, or Sascatchiwaine,* 
and proceeded to ascend its stream.® ■ The Bourbon is a 
large river, and has its sources to the westward. The 
lands, which we passed after the twenty-first of 
September, are more hilly and rocky than those de- 
scribed before. The trees are poplar and spruce. The 

* The lower part of the Sascatchiwaine was once called the 
River de Bourbon. Pasquayah is the name of an upper por- 
tion of the Sascatchiwaine. 

^Saskatchewan River. The name is derived from Kis-is-kat- 
ji-wan the Oree word for "swift flowing," and has been 
tortured into many forms by early travellers. This noble river 
drains the whole country from the Rocky Mountains on the 
west between the watersheds of the Athabaska and the Missouri 
Rivers to Lake Winnipeg. Its length is about 1,100 miles. 
Pasquayah is derived from Paskquaw, a prairie or desert, as its 
course is through the great plain, to the east of the Rocky 
Mountains. The Cree name was long confined to the upper 
portion of the river but is now transferred (though altered in 
spelling to Pasquia) to a tributary which enters the Saskatche- 
wan from the right near the Pas Mission, eighty-five miles 
from Lake Winnipeg. The name River de Bourbon was de- 
rived from that of the Fort which Verendrye built at the 
mouth of the river in 1749 and named after the Royal family 
of France. 



256 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

rocks are chiefly of lime-stone. Our course, from the 
entrance of Lake Winipegon, was north-west norther- 
ly. The lake contains sturgeon ; but, we were not able 
to take any. At four leagues above the mouth of the 
river, is the Grand Rapide, two leagues in length, up 
which the canoes are dragged with ropes."' At the end 
of this is a carrying-place of two miles, through a forest 
almost uniformly of pine-trees. Here, we met with 
Indians, fishing for sturgeon. Their practice is, to 
watch behind the points where the current forms an 
eddy, in which the sturgeon, coming to rest them- 
selves, are easily speared. The soil is light and sandy. 
A vessel of any burden might safely navigate Lake 
Winipegon, from its south-west comer to the Grand 
Rapide. 

Lake Winipegon, or Winipic, or the Lake of the 
Killistinons, or Cristinaux, empties itself into Hud- 
son's Bay, at Fort York, by a river, sometimes called 
Port-lSTelson River. Its length is said to be one hun- 
dred and twenty leagues. Its breadth is unknown.^'^ I 

^ The Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan are about two miles 
from its mouth. Mr. Fleming; (Hind's Canadian Exploring 
Expedition) measured the length of the rapid which he made 
two and three quarter miles and the total descent forty-three 
and a half feet. Henry's figures are here very incorrect. 

i"Hind gives the approximate leading dimensions of Lake 
Winnipeg. Area of the lake, 8,500 square miles, length 280 
miles, greatest breadth, 57 miles, length of coast line, 930 
miles. The Nelson River is the largest river discharging into 
Hudson's Bay. It is a muddy stream of immense volume 
flowing in a course of about 360 miles through a flat country. 
It is only navigable for forty miles from its mouth. Fort York 
is eight miles south of it upon the Hayes River. The route to 
Lake Winnipeg is up this river and not by the Nelson River. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 257 

saw no land, in any direction, after leaving Oak Point. 
On the second, we continued our voyage against 
the current of the Bourbon, which was strong, and 
interrupted by several rapids. On the third, we enter- 
ed Lake de Bourbon, called by the English, after the 
Indians, Cedar Lake. This name is derived from the 
cedar-tree, {thuya), which covers its banks, and which 
is not found to the northward of this region. 

On the fourth, we reached the opposite extremity of 
Lake de Bourbon. This lake is eighteen leagues in 
length, and has many deep bays, receding to the north- 
ward. The land, by which they are bordered, is in 
almost all instances out of sight. Several islands, 
some of which are large, are also in this lake. The 
shores are generally rocky. At the north end, there 
was, in the French time, a fort, or trading-house, called 
Fort de Bourbon, and built by M. de Saint-Pierre, a 
French officer,^^ who was the first adventurer into these 
parts of the country.* 

*In 1766, Carver calls Lake de Bourbon "the most north- 
ward of those yet discovered." 



11 M. de Saint Pierre is either Henry's abbreviation of Veren- 
drye's name, Pierre Gaultier de Varrenes, Le Sieur de Veren- 
drye, who first penetrated thus far to the north and built the 
fort in 1749, or he has confounded him with Jacques Repenti- 
gny Legardeur de Saint Pierre, the friend and ally of the 
Marquis de la Jonquiere, who arrived at the Red River from 
Montreal in 1751. This latter never ascended the Saskatche- 
wan, but sent Ensign de Niverville to establish a fort, three 
hundred miles up the river, in which the men succeeded, 
though de Niverville was left helplessly sick on the road. 
Fort Jonquiere never became anything more than a name. 

17 



258 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

At and adiacent to tiiis fort, are s^^everal of the 
mouths of the river Sascatchiwaine. Here we took 
several sturgeon, using a seine, the meshes of which 
were large enough to admit the fish's head, and which 
we made fast to two canoes. 

On the sixth, we ascended the Sascatchiwaine, the 
current of which was here only moderately' strong; 
but, the banks were marshy and overflowed, so that 
it was with difficulty we found a dry space, large 
enough to encamp upon. Beaver-lodges were numer- 
ous ; and the river was everywhere covered with geese, 
ducks, and other wild fowl. No rising ground was to 



Verendrye's sons freely accused M. de Saint Pierre of having 
stolen from them the result of their discoveries. His narrative 
is published in the Canadian Aixhives, 1886, p. 163. The lake, 
originally called Lac Bourbon, has been known to Englishmen 
since 1763, as Cedar Lake. It is about thirty miles long and 
with a breadth at its widest part of twenty-five miles. The 
Saskatchewan which debouches into it on the north side, 
through numerous mouths, was for long said to terminate here 
and the portion between Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipeg was 
known as Riviere de Bourbon. Thomas Curry, of Montreal, 
was the first Englishman to reach Lac Bourbon, where he 
wintered in 1770-1, and was followed in the succeeding year by 
James Finlay. Umfreville, Hudson's Bay, says, "I passed the 
winters of the year 1784, 1785, 1786 and 1787 on a large river 
which empties itself by many branches into that lake which is 
laid down in maps by the name of Lake Bourbon. This lake 
was improperly so called by the French, when in possession of 
Canada ; but its real name is Cedar Lake, and it is thus named 
by the Indians, on account of that kind of wood being found 
thereon." Mackenzie, Voyage from Montreal, p. Ixviii, notes 
"that Fort Bourbon is situated on a small island dividing Cedar 
Lake from Mud Lake." 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 259 

be seen; and the wood, whicli was chiefly willow, no- 
where exceeded a man's wrist in thickness. \ 

On the eighth, we resumed our voyage before day- 
light, making all speed to reach a fishing-place, since 
winter was ver^ fast approaching. Meeting two 
canoes of Indians, we engaged them to accompany us, 
as hunters. The number of ducks and geese which 
they killed was absolutely prodigious. 

At eighty leagues above Fort de Bourbon, at the 
head of a stream which falls into the Sascatchiwaine, 
and into which we had turned, we found the Pas- 
quayah village. ^^ It consisted of thirty families, lodged 
in tents of a circular form, and composed of dressed 
ox-skins, stretched upon poles twelve feet in length, 
and leaning against a stake driven into the gTOund in 
the centre. 

On our arrival, the chief, named Chatique, or The 
Pelican, came down upon the beach, attended by 
thirty followers, all armed with the bows and arrows, 
and with spears. Chatique was a man of more than 
six feet in height, somewhat corpulent, and of a very 
doubtful physiognomy. He invited us to his tent; 
and we observed that he was particularly anxious to 
bestow his hospitalities on those who were the owners 
of the goods. We suspected an evil design; but, 



12 This was evidently at the place now called the Pas Mission 
where the Pasquia or Basquia River enters the Saskatchewan. 
Small encampments of Wood or Swampy Crees were always to 
be found here. Fleming ( Hind's Canadian Exploring Expedi- 
tion, Vol 1, p. 453), gives a view of the place. 



260 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

judged it better to lend ourselves to the treachery, than 
to discover fear. We entered the lodge accordingly, 
and soon perceived that we were surrounded by armed 
men. 

Chatioue presently rose up, and told us, that he was 
glad to see us arrive ; that the young men of the village, 
as well as himself, had long been in want of many 
tilings of which we were possessed in abundance ; that 
we must be well aware of his power to prevent our 
going further; that if we passed now, he could put us 
all to death on our return; and that under these cir- 
cumstances, he expected us to be exceedingly liberal in 
our presents: adding, that to avoid misunderstanding, 
he would inform us of what it was that he must have. 
It consisted in three casks of gunpowder; four bags of 
shot and ball ; two bales of tobacco ; three kegs of rum, 
and three guns; together with knives, flints and some 
smaller articles. He went on to say, that he had before 
now been acquainted with white men, and knew that 
they promised more than they performed; that with 
the number of men which he had, he could take the 
whole of our property, without our consent; and that 
therefore his demands ought to be regarded as very 
reasonable: that he was a peaceable man, and one that 
contented himself with moderate views, in order to 
avoid quarrels; — ^finally, that he desired us to signify 
our assent to his proposition, before we quitted our 
places. 

The men in the canoes exceeded the Indians in num- 
ber; but, they were unarmed, and without a leader: 
our consultation was therefore short, and we promised 
to comply. This done, the pipe was handed round as 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 261 

usual; and tlie omission of this ceremony, on our en- 
trance, liad sufficiently marked the intentions of 
Ciiatique. The pipe dismissed, we obtained permission 
to depart, for the purpose of assorting the presents; 
and, these bestowed, or rather yielded up, we hastened 
away from the plunderers. 

We had supposed the affair finished; but, before we 
had proceeded two miles, we saw a canoe behind us. 
On this, we dropped astern, to give the canoes that 
were following us an opportunity of joining, lest, 
being alone, they should be insulted. Presently, how- 
ever, Chatique, in a solitary canoe, rushed into the 
midst of our squadron, and boarded one of our canoes, 
spear in hand, demanding a keg of rum, and threaten- 
ing to put to death the first that opposed him. We saw 
that our only alternative was, to kill this daring robber, 
or to submit to his exaction. The former part would 
have been attended with very mischievous conse- 
quences; and we therefore curbed our indignation, and 
chose the latter. On receiving the rum, he saluted us 
with the Indian cry, and departed. 

Every day, we were on the water before dawn, and 
paddled along till dark. The nights were frosty; and 
no provisions, excepting a few wild fowl, were to be 
procured. We were in daily fear that our progress 
would be arrested by the ice. 

On the twenty-sixth, we reached Cumberland 
House,^^ one of the factories of the Hudson's Bay Com- 



13 Mr. Fleming says, "Cumberland House, the chief depot or 
fort of the Cumberland District of the Hudson's Bay Company, 
is situated on the south shore of Cumberland or Pine Island 



262 TRAVELS AND [a.D. 

pany. seated on Sturgeon Lake, m about 54° north 
latitude, and 102° lone^tude west from Greenwich. 
This house had been built the year before, by Mr. 
Heame, who was now absent, on his weU-known 
journey of discovery. We found it garrisoned by 
Highlanders, from the Orkney Islands, and under the 
command of a Mr. Cockings. by whom, though un- 
welcome gTiests, we were treated with much civility. 
The design, in building this house, was to prevent 
the Indians from dealing with the Canadian 
merchants, and to induce them to go to Hudson's Bay. 
It is distant <ne hundred leagues from Chatique's 
village; and of this space the first fifty leases com- 
prise lands nearly level with the water; but, in the 

Lake. It is about two miles in an air line north of the 
Saskatchewan, on the north side of what is called "Pine 
Island," a tract of land of considerable extent, between the 
Saskatchewan and Pine Island Lake, isolated by two branch 
rivers connecting the lake with the Saskatchewan. The western 
connection bears the name of Big-Stone River, it is about six 
miles long by its windings and about two chains wide. The 
eastern connection is about the same size as Big-Stone River 
and is called Tearing River. It is the route followed by the 
Mackenzie River boats." Cumberland House has always been 
an important point, from its being at the junction of the two 
great lines of water communication, one leading from the 
Pacific and the other from the Arctic Seas. The North-West 
Company also possessed a house here which was built about 
1793. Sir John Franklin remained at Cumberland House from 
October 23rd, 1819, to January 19th, 1820, and erected a sun- 
dial in the garden which still stands. An interesting account 
of his visit will be found in his Journey to the Polar Seas in 
1819-1822, London 1823, pp. 48-60. The fort is 65i miles 
from the Pas (Chatique's village) and 117 miles from Lake 
Winnipeg. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 263 

latter, the surface is more lofty, rising a hundred feet 
above the river, and increasing in height as we ad- 
vance. The soil is a white clay, mixed with sand. 
The wood is small and scanty. 

At Cumberland House, the canoes separated; M. 
Cadotte going with four to Fort des Prairies^*; Mr. 
Pond, with two, to Fort Dauphin^-^; and others pro- 
ceeding on still different routes. Messrs. Frobisher 
retained six, and myself four; and we resolved on 
joining our stock, and wintering together.^" We 
steered for the river Churchill, or Missinipi, to the 
east of Beaver Lake, or Lake aux Castors. 

Sturgeon Lake, which we now crossed, is twenty 
leagues in lengi;h. On the east are high lands, and on 
the west, low islands.^^ The river Malisfne falls into it. 



^*A note will be found on p. 275, on the position of this fort 
when Henry visits it during the following January. 

^5 Pond's map, Comadian Archives, 1890, shows the place 
where he wintered this year, as at the north-west corner of 
Lake Dauphin. The North- West Company's house was after- 
wards on Ochre River, a few miles south of the lake. 

^^ This union of interests in 1775, as M. Masson points out in 
Les Bourgmis de la Gompagnie du Nord-Oiiest, Vol. 1, p. 11, 
resulted, some years after, in the creation of the North- West 
Company. 

^^ The name is now only given to the eastern portion of the 
lake, the western part being known as Pine Island Lake. 
Henry's course was for a short distance east before turning 
north. The River Maligna continued for some time to retain 
this name, but in David Thompson's map it had been replaced 
by Sturgeon Weir River. 



264 TRAVELS AND 



[A.D. 



This we ascended, but not without much labour, from 
the numerous rapids, on account of which, the Cana- 
dians, in their vexation, have ^ven it the name it 
bears. ^^ 

We crossed Beaver Lake on the first day of Novem- 
ber; and the very next morning it was frozen over. 
Happily, we were now at a place abounding- with fish; 
and here, therefore, we resolved on wintering. 

Our first object was to procure food. We had ouly 
three days' stock remaining, and we were forty-three 
persons in number. Our forty men were divided into 
three parties, of which two were detached to the Kiver 
aux Castors, on which the ice was strong enough to 
allow of setting the nets, in the manner heretofore 
described. The third party was employed in building 
our house, or fort; and, in this, within ten days, we 
saw ourselves commodiously lodged. Indeed, we had 
almost built a village; or, in soberer terms, we had 
raised buildings round a quadrangle, such as really 
assumed, in the wilds which encompassed it, a formid- 
able appearance. In front, was the house desigTied for 
Messrs. Frobisher and myself; and the men had four 
houses, of which one was placed on each side, and two 
in the rear. 

Our canoes were disposed of on scaffolds; for, the 
ground being frozen, we could not bury them, as is the 
usual practice, and which is done to protect them from 

18 n 'Phis river is most appropriately named by the Canadians ; 
for I believe, for its length, it is the most dangerous, cross- 
grained piece of navigation in the Indian country." Cox's 
Columbia River, vol. 2, p. 256. 



1775.] ADVENTURES. 265 

that severity of cold wliicli occasions the bark to con- 
tract and split. 

The houses bein^ finished, we divided the men 
anew, makina; four parties, of nine each. Four were 
retained as wood-cutters; and each party was to provide 
for its own subsistence. 

Our fishing was very successful. We took trout of 
the weight of from ten to fifty pounds; white fish of 
five pounds; and pike of the usual size. There were 
also pickerel," called poissons dores, (gilt-fish), and 
stur2:eon; but, of the last, we caught only one. The 
Indians, soon after our arrival, killed two elks, other- 
wise called moose-deer.^'^ 

* Cervus alces. 

^^ The Pickerel, or Sandre, Stizostedium Vitreum, attains a 
size of from ten to twenty pounds. Its French name Dore is 
derived from its prevailing yellow colouration. 

2° Throughout this narrative Henry applies the term "Elk" 
to the species we now know as the moose. Later usage has 
almost entirely confirmed the name to the large red-deer, or 
wapiti, of the western prairies, called by the French la Biche, 
and by naturalists Cervus Canadensis. The name moose is 
from the Algonquin, the Cree form being moosoa, and the 
Ojibway, moonsa. The use of the French name, orignal, 
seems to have long survived in Quebec, and was used by Heriot 
in 1804, but all the English traders in the North- West use 
moose. It is now rarely found in Maine or the Maritime 
Provinces, but in considerable numbers west of the Ottawa 
river, as far as Alaska, its habitat being bounded on the south 
by the Great Lakes and prairies and on the north by the timber 
limit. A large moose will weigh from 900 to 1,200 pounds, 
and its meat was held in high estimation by the traders. See 
Richardson^ s Fauna Boreali Americana, part L, and Gaton's 
Antelope and Deer of America, New York, 1877. 



266 TRAVELS, &c. [1775. 

Lake aux Castors, or Beaver Lake, is seven leagues 
in length, and from three to five in breadth.'^ It has 
several islands, of which the largest does not exceed a 
mile in circmnference. The lands on either shore are 
mountainous and rocky. 

Messrs. Frobisher and myself were continually em- 
ployed in fishing. We made holes in the ice, and took 
trout "with the line, in twenty and thirty fathom water, 
using white-fish, of a pound weight, for our bait, which 
we sunk to the bottom, or very near it. 

In this manner, I have at times caught more than 
twenty large trout a-day; but, my more usual mode 
was that of spearing. By one means or other, fish was 
plenty with us; but, we suffered severely from the cold, 
in fishing. On the twenty-fifth, the frost was so ex- 
cessive, that we had nearly perished. Fahrenheit's 
thermometer was at 32° below zero in the shade; the 
mercury contracted one eighth, and for four days did 
not rise into the tube. 

Several Indians brought beaver and bear's meat, 
and some skins, for sale. Their practice was, to remain 
with us one night, and leave us in the morning. 



21 Beaver Lake, north of Cumberland Fort, is about sixteen 
miles long and four or five wide. It is instructive to see how 
I he Canadian traders stationed themselves on the three lines of 
communication, from the north, east and south, forestalling the 
Hudson's Bay Company at Cumberland House by meeting the 
Indians on their way to trade. 



CHAPTER X. 

Winter journey from Beaver Lake to the Plains, or 
Prairies. Author accompanied to Gumherland 
House hy Mr. Joseph Frohisher — reaches the Pas- 
quayah, or Sascatchiwaine. Snow storm. Pro- 
visions exhausted — and consequent sufferings. Fort 
des Prairies. Plains — reports of their bound- 
aries — inhabitants. Osinipoilles, or Assinihoins. 
Author joins a party of Osinipoilles, and accom- 
panies them to their Village. 

THE Plains, or, as tlie Frencla denominate them, the 
Prairies, or Meadows, compose an extensive tract of 
conntrj', which is watered by the Elk, or Athabasca, 
the Sascatchiwaine, the Red River and others, and 
runs sonthward to the Gulf of Mexico. On my first 
setting out for the north-west, I promised myself to 
visit this region, and I now prepared to accomplish the 
undertaking. Long joumies, on the snow, are thought 
of but as trifles, in this part of the world. 

On the first day of January, 1776, 1 left our fort on 
Beaver Lake, attended by two men, and provided with 
dried meat, frozen fish, and a small quantity of praline, 
made of roasted maize, rendered palatable with sugar, 
and which I had brought from the Sault de Sainte- 
Marie, for this express occasion. The kind and friend- 
ly disposition of Mr. Joseph Frobisher, induced him to 
bear me company, as far as Cumberland House, a 



268 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

journey of a hundred and twenty miles.^ Mr. 
Frobisher was attended by one man. 

Our provisions were drawn by the men, upon 
sledges, made of thin boards, a foot in breadth, and 
curved unward in front, after the Indian fashion. 
Our clothine; for ni^'hi: and day was nearly the same; 
and the cold was so intense, that exclusively of warm 
woollen clothes, we Avere obli^'ed to wrscp ourselves con- 
tinually in beaver blankets, or at least in ox-skins, 
which the traders call huffalo-robes. At night, we 
made our first encampment at the head of the Maligne, 
where one of our parties was fishing, with but very in- 
different success. 

On the following evening, we encamped at the 
mouth of the same river. The snow was four feet 
deep; and we found it impossible to keep ourselves 
warm, even mth the aid of a large fire. 

On the fourth day, as well of the month as of our 
iournev. we arrived at Cumberland House. Mr. Cook- 
ings received us with much hospitality, making us 
partake of all he had, which, however, was but little. 
Himself and his men subsisted Avholly upon fish, in 
which sturgeon bore the largest proportion; and this 
was caucht near the house. The next morning, I took 

^ The distances given by Mackenzie are : Cumberland House 
to Sturgeon Lake, twenty miles ; Sturgeon Lake, twenty-seven 
miles ; Sturgeon Weir River or River Maligne, thirty miles ; 
Beaver Lake, sixteen miles, or a total of ninety-three miles. 
The extra distance was probably made up in detours to avoid 
the river which was too rapid to freeze. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 269 

leave of Mr. Erobisher, wlio is certainly the first man 
that ever went the same distance, in such a climate, 
and wpon snow-shoes, to convoy a friend! 

From Cumberland House, I pursued a westerly 
course, on the ice, following the southern bank of 
SturjO'eon Lake, till I crossed the neck of land by 
which alone it is separated from the great river 
Pasquayah, or Sascatchiwaine.^ In the evening, I 
encamped on the north bank of this river, at the 
distance of ten leagues from Cumberland House. 

The depth of the snow, and the intenseness of the 
cold, rendered my progress so much slower than I had 
reckoned upon, that I soon began to fear the want of 
provisions. The sun did not rise till half past nine 
o'clock in the morning, and it set at half past two in 
the afternoon: it is, however, at no time wholly dark 
in these climates; the northern lights, and the reflec- 
tion of the snow, affording always sufficient light for 
the traveller. Add to this that the river, the course of 
which I was ascending, was a guide, with the aid of 
which I could not lose my way. Every day's journey 
was commenced at three o'clock in the morning. 

1 was not far advanced, before the country betrayed 
some approach<^s to the characteristic nakedness of the 
Plains. The wood dwindled away, both in size and 
quantity, so that it was with difficulty we could collect 
sufiicient for making a fire, and without fire we could 

2 This is really the island called Pine Island. It is about two 
miles wide and crossing it is the Pemmican portage, which con- 
nects Cumberland House with the Saskatchewan River. 



270 TRAVELS AND 



[A.D. 



not drink; for melted snow was our only resource, the 
ice on the river bein^ too thick to be penetrated by the 
axe. 

On the evening of the sixth, the weather conti- 
nuins: severely cold, I made my two men sleep on the 
same skin with myself, one on each side; and though 
this arrangement was particularly beneficial to myself, 
it increased the comfort of all. At the usual hour in 
the morning, we attempted to rise; but found that a 
foot of snow had fallen upon our bed, as well as ex- 
tingruished and covered our fire. In this situation we 
remained till day-break, when, with much exertion, we 
collected fresh fuel. Proceeding on our journey, we 
found that the use of our sledges had become imprac- 
ticable, through the quantity of newly fallen snow, and 
were now constrained to carry our provisions on our 
backs. Unfortunately, they were a diminished 
burden ! 

For the two days succeeding, the depth of the 
snow, and the violence of the winds, greatly retarded 
our journey; but, from the ninth to the twelfth, the 
elements were less hostile, and we travelled rapidly. 
ISTo trace of any thing human presented itself on our 
road, except that we saw the old wintering-ground of 
Mr. Finlay, who had left it some years before, and 
was now stationed at Fort des Prairie.^ This fort 

2 James Finlay was the pioneer English trader on the Upper 
Saskatchewan, having wintered at Nipawi House in 1771-2, 
Thomas Curry, who wintered at Fort Bourbon in 1770-1, not 
having proceeded further up the river. Finlay made money in 
the North- West fur trade, finally returned to Montreal about 17S5 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 271 

was tlie sta^e we had to make, before we could enter 
the Prairies, or Plains; and on examining our provi- 
sions, we found only sufficient for five days, while, 
even at the swiftest rate we had travelled, a journey 
of twelve days was before us. My men began to fear 
being starved, as seeing no prospect of relief; but, I 
endeavoured to m?intain theii courage, by represent- 
ing that I should certainly kill red-deer and elk, of 
which the tracks were visible along the banks of the 
river, and on the sides of the hills. "What I hoped for, 
in this respect, it was not easy to accomplish; for the 
animals kept within the shelter of the woods, and the 
snow was too deep to let me seek them there. 

On the fifteenth, our situation was rendered still 
more alarming, by the commencement of a fresh fall 
of snow, which added nearly two feet to the depth of 
that which was on the ground before. At the same 
time, we were scarcely able to collect enough wood for 
making a fire to melt the snow. The only trees around 
us were starveling willows; and the hills, which dis- 
covered themselves at a small distance, were bare of 
every vegetable production, such as could rear itself 
above the snow. Their appearance was rather that of 
lofty snow-banks, than of hills. "We were now on the 
borders of the Plains. 

and " became a notable there." His son James who w&s appren- 
ticed to Gregory,McLeod & Co., Montreal, in the Indian trade, 
in this year, afterwards made his mark in the North-West, and 
gave his name to the Finlay River. Finlay's house was some 
two or three miles west of the 104th degree west, at the site of 
the old French fort at Nipawi, Nepion, Neponewin or Nip- 
pewien. This had been the most westerly French post on the 
Saskatchewan. 



272 TRAVELS AND A.D. 

On the twentietli, the last remains of our provi- 
sions were expended; but, I had taken the precaution 
to conceal a cake of chocolate, in reserve for an occa- 
sion like that which was now arrived. Toward even- 
ing, my men, after walking the whole day, began to 
lose their strength; but, we nevertheless kept on our 
feet till it was late; and, when we encamped, I inform- 
ed them of the treasure which was still in store. I 
desired them to fill the kettle with' snow, and argued 
with them the while, that the chocolate would keep us 
alive, for five days at least; an interval in which we 
should surely meet with some Indian at the chase. 
Their spirits revived at the suggestion ; and, the kettle 
being filled with two gallons of water, I put into it one 
square of the chocolate. The quantity was scarcely 
sufficient to alter the colour of the water; but, each of 
us drank half a gallon of the warm liquor, bv which 
we were much refreshed, and in its enjovment felt no 
more of the fatigues of the day. In the morning, we 
allowed ourselves a similar repast, after finishing 
which, we marched vigorously for six hours. But, 
now, the spirits of my companions again deserted them, 
and they declared, that thev neither would, nor could, 
proceed any further. Eor mvself, they advised me to 
leave them, and accomplish the journey as I could; 
but, for themselves, they said, that they must die soon, 
and might as well die where they were, as any where 
else. 

"While things Avere in this melancholv posture, I 
filled the kettle, and boiled another square of chocolate. 
When prepared, I prevailed upon mv desponding com- 
panions to return to their warm beverage. On taking 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 273 

it, they recovered inconceivably; and, after smoking a 
pipe, consented to go forward. While their stomachs 
were comforted by the warm water, they walked well; 
but, as evening approached, fatigue overcame them, 
and they relapsed into their former condition; and, the 
chocolate being now almost entirely consumed, I began 
to fear that I must really abandon them: for I was able 
to endure more hardship than they; and, had it not 
been for keeping company with them, I could have ad- 
vanced, double the distance, within the time which had 
been spent. To my great joy, however, the usual 
quantity of warm water revived them. 

For breakfast, the next morning, I put the last 
square of chocolate into the kettle; and our meal finish- 
ed, we began our march, in but very indifferent spirits. 
We were surrounded by large herds of wolves, which 
sometimes came close upon us, and who knew, as we 
were prone to think, the extremity in which we were, 
and marked us for their prey; but, I carried a gun, and 
this was our protection. I fired several times, but un- 
fortunately missed at each ; for a morsel of wolf's flesh 
would have afforded us a banquet. 

Our miserv, nevertheless, was still nearer its end 
than we imagined; and the event was such as to give 
one of the innumerable proofs, that despair is not made 
for man. Before sunset, we discovered, on the ice, 
some remains of the bones of an elk, left there by the 
wolves. Having instantlv gathered them, we en- 
camped; and, filling our kettle, prepared ourselves a 
meal of strong and excellent soun. The greater part of 
the night was passed in boiling and regaling on our 
18 



274 TRAVELS AND [A.D. \ 

booty; and early in the mominp: we felt ourselves 
etrong enou^li to proceed. ^ 

This day, the twenty-fifth, we found the borders of 
the Plains reaching to the very banks of the river, 
which were two hundred feet above the level of 
the ice. Water-marks presented themselves at twenty 
feet above the actual level. 

Want had lost his dominion over us. At noon, we 
saw the horns of a red-deer, standing in the snow, on 
the river. On examination, we found that the whole 
carcass was with them, the animal having; broke 
through the ice in the beginning of the winter, in 
attempting to cross the river, too early in the season; 
while his horns, fastening themselves in the ice, had 
prevented him from sinking. By cutting away the ice, 
we were enabled to lay bare a part of the back and 
shoulders, and thus procure a stock of food, amply 
sufficient for the rest of our ioumev. We accordingly 
encamped, and emploved our kettle to good purpose; 
forgot all our misfortunes; and prepared to walk with 
cheerfulness the twentv leagues, which, as we reck- 
oned, still lay between ourselves and Fort des Prairies. 

Though the deer must have been in this situation 
ever since the month of November, yet its flesh was 
perfectly good. Its horns alone were five foot high, or 
more; and it will therefore not appear extraordinary, 
that they should be seen above the snow. 

On the twenty-seventh, in the morning, we discover- 
•ed the print of snow-shoes, demonstrating that «ip-eeral 



1776.] ADVENTURES. i^75 

persons had passed that way the day before. These 
were the first marks of other human feet than our 
own, which we had seen since our leaving Cumber- 
land House; and it was much to feel, that we had 
f ellow-creatiu-es in the wide waste surroundine; us ! In 
the evening', we reached the fort. 

At Fort des Prairies, I remained several days,* 
hospitably entertained by my friends, who covered 
their table with the tongues and marrow of wild bulls. 
The quantitv of provisions, which I found collected 
here, exceeded every thing of which I had previously 
formed a notion. In one hepp, I saw fifty ton of beef, 



* Different posts on the upper portion of the Saskatche- 
wan River have been known by this name, as trade pushed 
westward. The Fort des Prairies of Henry is evidently that 
known later as the Upper Nippeween immediately below the 
junction of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, called 
the Grand Forks. Mr. John Fleming notes on his map at this 
place the remains of old Fort Nippeween, and Sir John Rich- 
ardson inserts the name "Fort Nippeween. " Henry says that on 
January 25th, the banks of the Saskatchewan were 200 feet 
above the level of the ice, and was evidently surprised at the 
change from the low land through which he had been journey- 
ing. The point at which this observation was made must 
necessarily be within twenty miles of the present Fort a la 
Come, as Mr. Fleming, who conducted the branch exploring 
party of 1858, says that about twenty miles below Fort a la Corne 
the banks of the river-change from low to high. At the place 
just mentioned Henry reckoned they were still twenty leagues 
from the Fort which they did not reach until the evening of the 
27th, about two days and a half. The actual distance would be 
little over fifty miles, and in their condition, twenty miles a 
day would be fair travelling. 



276 TRAVELS AKD [A.D. 

80 fat that the men could scarcely find a sufficiency of 
lean. 

I had come to see the Plains; and I had yet a serious 
journey to perform, in order to stratify my curiosity. 
Their southern boundary I have already named; and I 
understood that they stretched northward, to the 
sixtieth deo:ree of north latitude, and westward, to 
the feet of the Rocky Mountains, or Northern Andes, 
of which the great chain pursues a north-westerly 
direction.'' The mountains, seen in high latitudes, 
were re2;arded as parts of this chain, and said to be 
inhabited by numerous bands of Indians, The Plains 
cross the river Pasquayah, Kejeeche-won,'' Saseatchi- 

'^ What Henry here calls the Plains is known as the second 
prairie steppe, which comprises the south-west half of the 
Province of Manitoba, half of the Territories of Assiniboia and 
three-fourths of Saskatchewan. It covers an area of 105,000 
square miles, of which about two-thirds are prairie proper and 
stands at an average elevation of 1,600 feet above sea level. 
Henry, in crossing Lake Winnipeg, from Fort Alexander to the 
Saskatchewan River, left the route which would have taken him 
to the Red River and so he did not see the first prairie steppe 
which includes most of Manitoba and extends beyond the 
international boundary. The third prairie steppe rises to the 
west of the second and reaches to the Rocky Mountains. It 
ranges from 2,000 to 4,200 feet above sea-level and the surface 
is more irregular than the others. The name Rocky Moun- 
tains is now confined to the most easterly of the mountain 
chains which run parallel with the Pacific from the Mexican 
frontier until they approach the Arctic ocean. After passing 
the Peace River they gradually diminish in height. The reader 
is referred to S. E. Dawson's Canada and Newfoundland in 
Stanford's Compendium of Geography, London, 1897. 

® Kejeeche-won is a very unusual form of the Cree n^tmy. 
See note, page 255. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 277 

waine or Shascatchiwan, a little above Fort des 
Prairies. 

Tlie Indians, who inhabit them inunediately to 
the southward, are called Osinipoilles, or AssiniboinsJ 

^ The Assiniboines are a branch of that Siouan stock which 
occupies the central portion of the continent. The Sioux or 
Dakotas are after the Algonquins and Iroquois the most inter- 
esting of all the tribes, and are pre-eminently the Indians of 
the plains. The name Assiniboin, is derived from the Cree, 
assini, stone, and hwan, Sioux, said to have come from the fact 
that they cooked their food on heated stones. The Dakotas, 
from whom they separated themselves before the middle of the 
seventeenth century, designate them Hohe, rebels. The 
Relation, of 1668, in a list of recently discovered tribes, says : 
"At thirty-five leagues from Lac Alimbeg (Nipigon), is the 
nation of the Assinipoualak, that is to say, the Warriors of 
Stone." Hennepin placed them to the north-east of the Issati 
(Santee) who were on Knife Lake, Minnesota, and the Jesuit 
map of 1681, on the Lake of the Woods, then called Lac 
Assinepoualacs. Perrot refers to the Asiniboin as a Sioux 
tribe, which in the sevententh century seceded from their 
nation and took refuge in the Lake of the Woods. They seem 
to have gradually moved westward, until in Henry's time, they 
occupied the great prairies lying between the Red river on the 
east, Vermilion river on the west, and the North Saskatchewan 
and Missouri, on the north and south. Their numbers were 
estimated at the beginning of the nineteenth century at about 
10,000, but the smallpox epidemic of 1838 greatly reduced 
them, and in 1342 different persons estimated them at between 
3,500 and 4,000, occupying the country to the south of the 
Qu'Appelle river. They are now settled upon Reserves in 
different parts of the Territories of Assiniboia and Alberta and 
are divided in the Canadian Government's enumeration into 
Stony and Assiniboin Indians. Their united number in Can- 
ada, in 1890, was 1,342 and about the same number are to be 
found south of the American boundary line. The reader is 



278 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

At tlie fort, I Jiiet v/itli a woman who was a slave 
among' the Osinipoilles, taien far to the westward of 
the mountains, in a country which the latter in- 
cessantly ravage. She informed me, that the men of 
the country never suffer themselves to be taken, but 
always die in the field, rather than fall into captivity. 
The women and children are made slaves, but are not 
put to death, nor tormented."" Her nation lived on a 
great river, rimning to the south-west, and cultivated 
beans, squashes, maize and tobacco. The lands were 
generally mountainous, and covered with pine and 
fir. She had heard of men who wear their beards. 
She had been taken in one of the incursions of the 
Osinipoilles. Of the men who were in the village, 
the greater part were killed; but, a few escaped, by 
swimming across the river. 

The woman belonged to a numerous band of Osini- 
poilles, which was at the fort, selling its meat and 
skins. I resolved on travelling with these people, to 
their village; and accordingly set out on the fifth of 

* The Five Nations, and others, are known to have treated 
their prisoners with great cruelty ; but there is too much reason 
to believe, that the exercise of this cruelty has been often 
encouraged, and its malignity often increased, by European 
instigators and assistants. 



referred to McGee and Dorsey's Siouan Indians, in the 
15th Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1893-4 ; Hinds' 
Canadian Exploring Expedition, vol. 1 ; Maclean's " Canadian 
Savage Folk " ; and Bryce's " Assiniboine River and its Forks," 
in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, vol. 10. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 279 

Eebruary, accompanied by Messrs. Patterson and 
Holmes,^ and attended by my two Canadians. 



* This was probably the Mr. Holmes of the firm of Holmes 
& Grant, who were partners in the Sixteen Share concern of 
1780. He sold his share to John Gregory at the commence- 
ment of the Twenty Share concern, in 1790. 



/ 



CHAPTEK XI. 

Journey on the Plains, from Fort des Prairies to a 
Village of the Osinipoilles. Table-land. Moose- 
river. Red-deer. Winter appearance of the 
Plains. Danger from drifted Snow. Coppices, 
or Islands. Wikl Oxen. Messenger's fro'm Great 
Chief. Snow-storm — and Herd of Oxen. Tobacco 
highly esteemed among the Indians. Encamp 
near the Village. Entry. Guard of Honour. 
Tent assigned to the Strangers. 

WE departed at an early hour, and after a march 
of ahout two miles, ascended the table-land, which 
lies above the river, and of which the level is two 
hundred feet higher than that of the land on which 
the fort is built. From the low ground upward, the 
soil is covered with poplar, of a large growth; but, 
the summit of the ridge is no sooner gained, than the 
wood is found to be smaller, and so thinly scattered, 
that a wheel-carriage might pass, in any direction. 
At noon, we crossed a small river, called Moose-river, 
flowing at the feet of very lofty banks. Moose-river 
is said to fall into Lake Dauphin.' 



1 The name Moose Kiver, has so completely disappeared that 
It is diflacult to say whether it is that now known as Long 
Creek, or the Carrot or Root River. Although the distance to 
the latter is a long forenoon's walk, yet it is the only river run- 
ning in the direction of Lake Dauphin. It actually flows into 



1776.] TRAVELS, &c. 281 

Beyond this stream, tlie wood grows still more 
scanty, and tlie land more and more level. Our 
course was southerly. The snow lay four feet deep. 
The Indians travelled swiftly; and, in keeping pace 
with them, my companions and myself had too much 
exercise, to suffer from the coldness of the atmos- 
phere; but, our snow-shoes being of a broader make 
than those of the Indians, we had much fatigue in 
following their track. The women led, and we 
marched till sunset, when we reached a small coppice 
of wood, under the protection of which we encamped. 
The baggag:e of the Indians was drawn by dogs, who 
kept pace with the women, and appeared to be under 
their command. As soon as we halted, the women 
set up the tents, which were constructed, and covered, 
like those of the Cristinaux. 

The tent, in which I slept, contained fourteen 
persons, each of whom lay with, his feet to the fire, 
which was in the middle; but, the night was so cold, 
that even this precaution, with the assistance of our 
tuffalo-robes, was insufficient to keep us warm. Our 
supper was made on the tongues of the wild ox, or 
buffaloj boiled in my kettle, which was the only one 
in the camp. 

At break of day, or rather before that time, we left 
OUT encampment; the women still preceding us. On 

the Saskatchewan River, a few miles above the Pas Mission, 
after running parallel with it for nearly 180 miles. Long Creek 
empties into the Saskatchewan River near Fort a la Corne, 
which Henry must have known. It seems probable, therefore, 
that Moose River was the Carrot or Root River. 



282 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

our march, we saw but little wood, and that only here 
and there, and at ^eat distances. We crossed two 
rivulets, stealing alon^ the bottom of very deep chan- 
nels, which, no doubt, are better filled in the season 
of the melting of the snow. The banks here, as on 
the Pasquayah, or Sascatchiwaine, are composed od" a 
whiti'^h clay, mingied with sand. 

On the sixth of February, we had a fine clear sky; 
but, the air was exceeding;ly cold and bleak, no 
shelter from woods being afforded us, on either side. 
There was but little wind, and yet, at times, enough 
to cause a slight drift of snow. In the evening, we 
encamped in a small wood, of which the largest trees 
did not exceed a man's wrist in thickness. On the 
seventh, we left our encampment at an early hour. 
Tracks of large herds of animals Dresented them- 
selves, which the Indians said were those of red-deer,- 
Our course was south-west, and the weather very 
cold. The country was one uninterrupted plain, in 
many parts of which no wood, nor even the smallest 
shrub, was to be seen: a continued level, without a 
single eminence; a frozen sea, of which the little 
coppices were the islands. That, behind which we 
had encamped the night before, soon sunk in the 
horizon; and the eye had nothing left, save onlv the 
sky and snow. The latter was still four feet in depth. 

At noon, we discovered, and presently passed by, 
a diminutive wood, or island. At four in the after- 
noon, another was in sight. When I could see none, 



American elk, or Wapiti. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 283 

I was alive to tlie danger to be feared from a storm 
of wind, whicli would have driven the snow upon us. 
The Indians related, that whole families often perish 
in this manner.® 

It was dark before we reached the wood. A fire, 
of which we had much need, was soon kindled by the 
women. Axes were useless here; for the largest tree 
yielded easily to the hand. It was not only small, 
but in a state of decay, and easily extracted from the 
loose soil in which it grew. We supped on wild beef 
and snow-water. In the night, the wind changed to 
the southward, and the weather became milder. I 
was still asleep, when the women began their noisy 
preparations for our march. The striking of the 
tents, the tongues of the women, and the cries of the 
dogs, were all heard at once. At the first dawn of 
day, we re-commenced our journey. ISTothing was 
visible but the snow and sky; and the snow was 
drifted into ridges, resembling waves. 

Soon after sunrise, we descried a herd of oxen, ex- 
tending a mile and a half in length, and too numerous 
to be counted.* They travelled, not one after another, 

^ During the months of January and February, the prairies of 
the Northern States and Canada are exposed to these sudden 
storms locally called blizzards. The furious blasts of wind 
laden with particles of dry, cutting snow, at a temperature of 
from twenty to forty degrees below zero, are frequently fatal to 
the exposed travellers upon the open plain. In the great storm 
of .January 14, 1888, it is estimated that over two hundred 
persons lost their lives in Minnesota, Dakota, and Nebraska. 

* The almost incredible number of buflfaloes is vouched for 
by many observers. Lewis and Clarke, in 1806, record in their 



284 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

as, in the snow, other animals usually do, but, in a 
broad phalanx, slowly, and sometimes stopping to 
feed. We did not disturb them; because to have 
attacked them would have occasioned much delay to 
our progress; and because the dogs were already 
sufficiently burdened, not to need the addition of 
the spoil. 

At two o'clock, we reached a small lake, surround- 
ed with wood, and where the trees were of a size 
somewhat larger than those behind. There were 
birch-trees among the rest. I observed, that wherever 
there was water, there was wood. All the snow upon 
the lake was trodden down by the feet of wild oxen. 
When this was the case on the land, an abundance 
of coarse grass discovered itself beneath. We were 
unable to penetrate to the water in the lake, though 
we cut a hole in the ice, to the depth of three feet. 



journal, "These buflfaloes are now so numerous that from an 
eminence we discovered more than we had ever seen before at 
one time ; and if it be not impossible to calculate the moving 
multitude, which darkened the whole plains, we are convinced 
that twenty thousand would be no exaggerated number." 
Catlin, in 1833, says, ' ' The almost countless herds of buffalo that 
are sometimes met with on these prairies, have been often 
spoken of by other writers and may yet be seen by any traveller 
who will take the pains to visit these regions — August and 
September is the time when they congregate into such masses 
in some places as literally to blacken the prairies for miles 
together." Hornaday, The Exterviination of the American 
Bison, Washington, 1889 ; and Catlin, Illustrations of the North 
American Indians, vol. 1, p. 249. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 285 

Where we cleared the ground for our encampments, 
no stones were to be seen.^ 

This evening, we had scarcely encamped, when 
there arrived two Osinipoilles, sent by the great chief 
of the nation, whose name was the Great Road, to 
meet the troop. The chief had been induced to send 
them through his anxiety, occasioned by their longer 
absence than had been expected. The messengers ex- 
pressed themselves much pleased at finding strangers 
with their friends, and told us, that we were within 
one day's march of their village,'^ and that the great 
chief would be highly gratified, in learning the long 
journey which we had performed to visit him. They 
added, that in consequence of finding us, they must 
themselves return immediately, to apprise him of our 
coming, and enable him to prepare for our reception. 



" The whole of this region abounds in small lakes, many of 
them saline or alkaline. In mid-winter, when Henry was 
travelling in this district, they could not be distinguished from 
the surrounding country, except for the presence of trees. 

''Henry had been travelling for seven days, first southerly 
and then in a south-west direction. This would bring him 
some little distance west and south of Humboldt, on the trail 
between Fort Ellice and the Saskatchewan river. The parti- 
ally wooded country extends about seventy miles from the 
North Saskatchewan and thirty from the South Saskatchewan 
rivers, to the boundary of the great and almost treeless prairie 
stretching out to the south and southwest. Great Road's village 
was only a temporary resting place on this prairie, so that no 
permanent remains were left, the migrations of the village 
being governed by the movements of the buffalo, or the necessi- 
ties of war. 



286 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Fortunately, tliey liad not been able to take any 
refreshment, before a storm of wind and snow com- 
menced, whicli prevented their departure, and in 
which they must have been lost, had it happened 
later. The storm continued all the night, and part of 
the next day. Clouds of snow, raised by the wind, 
fell on the encampment, and almost buried it. I had 
no resource but in my bufFalo-robe. 

In the morning, we were alarmed by the approach 
of a herd of oxen, who came from the open ground 
to shelter themselves in the wood. Their numoers 
were so great, that we dreaded lest they should fairly 
trample down the camp; nor could it have happened 
otherwise, but for the dogs, almost as numerous as 
they, who were able to keep them 'n check. The 
Indians killed several, when close upon their tents; 
but, neither the fire of the Indians, nor the noise of 
the dogs, could soon drive them away. Whatever 
were the terrors which filled the wood, they had no 
otlier escape from the terrors of the storni. 

In the night of the tenth, the wind fell. The 
interval had been passed in feasting on the tongues 
of the oxen. On the morning of the eleventh, the 
messengers left us before day-light. We had already 
charged them with a present for the chief, consisting 
in tobacco and vermilion. Of these articles, the 
former exceeds all others in estimation: for the In- 
dians are universally great smokers, men, women and 
children; and no affair can be transacted, civil or 
religious, without the pipe. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 287 

Our march, was performed at a quick pace, in the 
track of the messengers. All the fore part of the day 
escaped, without discovering to us a single wood, or 
even a single twig, with the exception of a very small 
island, lying on our right; but, at four o'clock in the 
afternoon, we reached a little scrub, or bushy tract, 
on which we encamped. We were at no great distance 
from the village; but, the Indians, as is their custom, 
delayed their entry till the morning. 

On the twelfth, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, we 
were in sight of a wood, or island, as the term not 
unnaturally is, as well with the Indians as others: it 
appeared to be about a mile and a half long. Shortly 
after, we observed smoke rising from it, and were in- 
formed that it was the smoke of the village. The 
morning was clear, and the sun shining. 

At eleven o'clock, two fresh messengers came from 
the village, by whom the strangers were formally 
welcomed, on the part of the chief. They told us, 
that they were directed to conduct us and our servants 
to a lodge, which had been prepared for our reception. 

At the entrance of the wood, we were met by a 
large band of Indians, having the appearance of a 
guard; each man being armed with his bow and spear, 
and having his quiver filled with arrows. In this, as 
in much that followed, there was more of order and 
discipline, than in anything which I had before witr 
nessed among Indians. The power of these guards 
appeared to be great; for they treated very roughly 
some of the people, who, in their opinion, approached 



288 TRAVELS, &c. [1776. 

US too closely. Forming themselves in re^lar file, 
on either side of us, they escorted us to the lodge, or 
tent, which was assi^ed us. It was of a circular 
form, covered with leather, and not less than twenty 
feet in diameter. On the ^ound within, ox -skins 
were spread, for beds and seats. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Hospitality and Ceremony of the Osinipoilles. Feast 
given by the Great Chief. The Pipe, or Calumet. 
Weeping. Remarkable Superstition. Second 
Feast. Orderly demeanour of the Guard. Camp, 
or Village, always on the alert. Ntimber of Tents 
and Families. Curiosity of the Inhabitants. 
Bogs. Horses. Visit of the Great Chief — Retinue 
Speech — and Present. Great Chief designs to visit 
the Fort. Third Feast. Daily Feasts. Domestic 
Order. Military Police. Hunting the Wild Ox 
proposed. 

OISTE half of the tent was appropriated to our use. 
Several women waited upon us, to make a fire, and 
brin^" water, which latter they fetched from a neigh- 
bouring tent. Shortly after our arrival, these women 
brought us water, unasked for, saying that it was for 
washing. The refreshment was exceedingly accept- 
able; for, on our march, we had become so dirty, that 
our complexions were not very distinguishable from 
those of the Indians themselves. 

The same women presently borrowed our kettle, 

telling us, that they wanted to boil something for us 

to eat. Soon after, we heard the voice of a man, 

passing through the village, and making a speech as 

he went. Our interpreter informed us, that his 
19 



290 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

speech contained an invitation to a feast, accompanied 
by a proclamation, in wliicli the people were required 
to behave with decorum toward the strangers, and 
apprised, that the soldiers had orders to punish those 
who should do otherwise. 

"While we were procuring this explanation, an 
Indian, who appeared to be a chief, came into our 
tent, and invited us to the feast; adding, that he would 
himself show us the way. We followed him accord- 
ingly, and he carried us to the tent of the great chief, 
which we found neither more ornamented, nor better 
furnished, than the rest. 

At our entrance, the chief arose from his seat, 
saluted us in the Indian manner, by, shaking hands, 
and addressed us in a few words, in v/hich lie offered 
his thanks for the confidence which we had reposed in 
him, in trusting ourselves so far from our own 
country. After we were seated, which was on bear- 
skins, spread on the ground, the pipe, as usual, was 
introduced, and presented in succession to each per- 
son present. Each took his whiff, and then let it pass 
to his neighbour. The stem, which was four feet in 
length, was held by an officer, attendant on the chic 
The bowl was of red marble, or pipe-stone. 

When the pipe had gone its round, the chief, with- 
out rising from his seat, delivered a speech of some 
length, but of which the general purport was of the 
nature already described, in speaking of the Indians 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 291 

of the Lake of the Woods.* The speech ended, 
several of the Indians began to weep, and they were 
soon ioined by the whole party. Had I not previously 
been witness to a weeping-scene of this description,, I 
should certainly have been apprehensive of some dis- 
astrous catastrophe; but, as it was, I listened to it 
with tranquillity. It lasted for about ten minutes, 
after which all tears were dried away, and the honours 
of the feast were performed by the attending chiefs. 
This consisted in giving to every guest a dish, contain- 
ing a boiled wild ox's tongue — for preparing which, 
my kettle had been borrowed. The repast finished, the 
great chief dismissed us, by shaking hands; and we re- 
turned to our tent. 

Having inquired among these people, why they 
always weep at their feasts, and sometimes at their 
councils, I was answered, that their tears flowed to tlie 
memory of those deceased relations, who formerly 
assisted both at the one and the other; — that their 
absence, on these occasions, necessarily brought them 
fresh into their minds, and at the same time led them to 
reflect on their own brief and uncertain continuance.t 

The chief to whose kindly reception we were so 
* See Part II., Chapter 8. 

tThe Osinipoilles are the Issati of the older travellers, and 
have sometimes been called the Weeper s^ 



^ The Issati, whom Henry here confounds with the Assini- 
boin, belong to the same Siouan confederacy, and are the 
principal gens of the division known as Dakotas. Their name 
has long been converted into Santee and small bodies of them 



292 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

much indebted, was about five feet ten inches high, and 
of a complexion rather darker than that of the Indians 
in general. His appearance was greatly injured by the 
condition of his head of hair, and this was the result of 
an extraordinary superstition. 

The Indians universally fijf upon a particular object, 
as sacred to themselves; as the giver of their prosperity, 
and as their preserver from evil. The choice is deter- 
mined either by a dream, or by some strong predilec- 
tion of fancy; and usually falls upon an animal, or part 
of an animal, or something else which is to be met with, 
by land, or by water: but, the Great Road had made 
choice of his hair — placing, like Sampson, all his safety 
in this portion of his proper substance! His hair was 
the fountain of all his happiness; it was his strength 
and his weapon, his spear and his shield. It preserved 
him in battle, directed him in the chase, watched over 
him in the march, and gave length of davs to his wives 
and children. Hair, of a quality like this, was not to 
be profaned by the touch of human hands. I was as- 
sured, that it had never been cut, nor combed, from 
his childhood upward; and, that when any part of it 
fell from his head, he treasured up that part with care: 
meanwhile, it did not escape all care, even while grow- 
ing: on the head; but, was in the special charge of a 
spirit, who dressed it while the owner slept. All this 
might be ; but, the spirit's style of hair-dressing was at 
least peculiar; the hair being suffered to remain very 

are now settled on Reserves in Nebraska and Montana. The 
title Weepers has not survived and cannot have been more than 
fur-traders' slang. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 293 

mucli as if it received no dressing at all, and matted 
into ropes, which spread themselves in all directions. 

The same evening, we were invited to a second feast. 
Every thing was nearly as before, except that in the 
morning all the guests were men, and now half were 
women. All the women were seated on one side of the 
floor of the tent, and all the men on the other, with a 
fire placed between them. The fire rendering the tent 
warm, the men, one after another, dropped the skins 
which were their garments, and left themselves entire- 
ly naked. The anpearance of one of them in particular 
having led us, who were strangers, into an involuntary 
and ill-stifled laugh, the men calmly asked us the 
occasion of our mirth; but, one of the women point- 
ing to the cause, the individual restored the covering of 
his robe. 



t 



The women are themselves perfectly modest, both in 
dress and demeanour; and those, who were now pre- 
sent, maintained the flrst rank in the village; but, 
custom had rendered the scene inoffensive to their 

eyes. 



- Many of the Sioux and Crows permitted their hair to grow 
to great length, differing in this way from the Indians of the 
East, who only retained the scalp lock. Catlin speaks of seeing 
many of the Crows "who were men over six feet high, and 
cultivated their natural hair to such an almost incredible length 
that it swept the ground as they walked." The principal chief 
of the Crows was called "Long-Hair," and received his office 
from the circumstance of having the longest hair of any man in 
the nation. It measured ten feet seven inches in length. To 
the vanity which prompted the preservation of his hair, Great 
Road had added that of sanctity. 



294 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Our repast concluded, we departed, taking with us 
our dishes, in which the greater part of the -ox-tongues, 
which had been laid upon them, remained uncon- 
8umed. 

All night, in our tent, we had a guard of six soldiers; 
and, when I awoke, as several times I did, I always 
found them smoking their pipes in silence.^ 

We rose at day-break, according to the custom of the 
Indians, who say, that they follow it in order to avoid 
surprises; this being the hour at which the enemy imi- 
formly makes his attack. 

^ "TheAkittiita (Akieica;, soldiers or guards (policemen) form 
an important body among the Assiniboin as they do among the 
other Siouan tribes. These soldiers who are chosen from the 
band on account of their bravery, are from twenty-five to forty- 
five years of age, steady, resolute, and respected ; and in 
them is vested the power of executing the decisions of the 
council. In a camp of 200 lodges these soldiers would number 
from fifty to sixty men ; their lodge is pitched in the centre of 
the camp and is occupied by some of them all the time, though 
the whole body is called together only when the chief wishes 
a public meeting or when their hunting regulations are to be 
decided. In their lodge all tribal and intertribal business 
is transacted, and all strangers, both white men and Indians, 
are domiciled. The young men, women, and children are not 
allowed to enter the soldiers' lodge during the time that tribal 
matters are being considered, and, indeed, they are seldom, if 
ever seen there. All the choicest parts of meat and the 
tongues of animals killed in hunting are reserved for the 
soldiers' lodge, and are furnished by the young men from time 
to time. A tax is levied on the camp for the tobacco smoked 
there, which is no small quantity, and the women are obliged 
to furnish wood and water daily." — 15th Annual Report of the 
Bureau of Ethnology, p. 224. 



177C.] ADVENTURES. 295 

Our waiting-women arrived early, bringing wood 
and water. Washing appeared to me to be a ceremony 
of relie:ion among tbe Osinipoilles; and I never saw 
any thing similar among other Indians. 

Leaving our tent, we made a progress through the 
village, which consisted of about two hundred tents, 
each tent containing from two to four families. We 
were attended by four soldiers of our guard, but this 
was insufficient for keeping off the women and 
children, who crowded round us with insatiable curio- 
sity. Our march Avas likewise accompanied by a thous- 
and dogs, all howling frightfully. 

From the village, I saw, for the first time, one of 
those herds of horses which the Osinipoilles possess in 
numbers. It was feeding on the skirts of the plain.* 



* Horses which were introduced into America by the Spanish 
ofradually spread north-ward and must have been acquired by 
the Siouan tribes during; the eighteenth century. Carver, who 
visited the Sioux to the westward of the Falls of St. Anthony, 
in 1766, mentions that they hunted the buffalo and elk on foot. 
No horses were used by them in war and he speaks of Indians 
still further to the westward "having great plenty of horses, 
always attacking their enemies on horseback." He gives, 
however, the Dakotan name for them in his vocabulary. The 
presumption is that the Sioux were acquainted with horses but 
had not become possessors of any number of them. The 
Assiniboians seem, in 1776, to have acquired some droves, but 
atill moved camp without employing other beasts of burden than 
dogs, and still hunted the buffalo on foot. By the commence- 
ment of the nineteenth century all this was changed and horses 
were generally employed. 



296 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

The masters of these herds provide them with no fod- 
der; but, leave them to find food for themselves, by re- 
moving the snow with their feet, till they reach the 
^ass, which is every where on the ground in plenty. 

At ten o'clock, we returned to our tent, and in a 
short time the 2;reat chief paid us a visit, attended by 
nearly fifty followers of distinction. In coming in, he 
gave his hand to each of us, and all his attendants 
followed his example. When we were seated, one of 
the officers went through the ceremony of the pipe, 
after which, the great chief delivered a speech, of 
which the substance was as follows: — That he was 
glad to see us; that he had been, some time since, in- 
formed of a fort of the white^men's being established 
on the Pasquayah, and that it had always been his in- 
tention to pay a visit there; that we were our own mas- 
ters, to remain at our pleasure in his village, free from 
molestation, and assured of his especial protection; 
that the young men had employed themselves in 
collecting meat and furs, for the purpose of purchasing 
certain articles, wherewith to decorate their wives; that 
within a few days he proposed to move, with his whole 
village, on this errand; that nothing should be omitted 
to make our stay as agreeable as possible ; that he had 
already ordered a party of his soldiers to guard us, and 
that if any thing should occur to displease us, his ear 
was always open to our complaints. 

For all these friendly communications, we offered 
our thanks. His visit to the fort it had been a prin- 
cipal obiect to invite. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 297 

After tlie speech, tie chief presented us with twenty 
beaver-skins, and as many wolf. In return, we gave two 
pounds of vermilion, and a few fathom of twisted 
tobacco, assuring him, that when he should arrive at 
our habitation, we would endeavour to repay the 
benefits which we were receiving from him, and at the 
same time cheerfully exchange our merchandise, for 
the dried meat and skins of his viUage. It was agreed 
that he should strike his camp at the end of five days, 
and that we should remain in it so long, and accompany 
it to the fort. The chief now departed; and I believe 
that we were reciprocally pleased with each other. 

A short time after he was gone, we received an in- 
vitation to a feast, from a subordinate chief. Our 
dishes were again filled with tongues, but roasted, and 
not boiled. To furnish us with water, we saw an 
ox's paunch employed as a kettle. This being hung in 
the smoke of a fire, was filled with snow; and, as the 
snow melted, more was added, till the paunch was full 
of water. The lower orifice of the organ was used for 
drawing off the water, and stopped with a plug and 
string. 

During our whole stay, we never had occasion for 
cookery at home; but, my kettle was in constant use, 
and for the most part in preparation of the feasts at 
which we were daily guests. In our tent, we were 
regularly supplied with water, either by the women, 
or by the guards. 

The guards were changed daily. They frequently 
beat the people, for disobedience of orders, and the 



298 TRAVELS, &c. [1776. 

offenders made no resistance to the chastisement. We 
were informed, that there was at both extremities of 
the camp, or village, a picket of two men, whose duty 
it was not to allow any person to go beyond the bounds. 
The intention of this was to prevent stragglers from 
falling a prey to the enemy. General orders were 
issued by the chief, morning and evening, and publish- 
ed by a crier, in every part of the camp. 

In the course of the day, the great chief informed 
us, that he proposed hunting the wild ox on the follow- 
ing morning, and invited us to be of the party. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Wild Ox Hunt. Dances and Festivity. Musical 
Instruments. Some account of the Flains — In- 
habitants to the Westward. Weapons of War. 
Horses originally procured from the Spaniards. 
Religious notions and practices — Songs — Feasts 
— Fasts — Dances — Sacrifices. Agreevfient, in these 
and other particulars, hetiveen the Osini'poilles 
a'lid Cristinaux. Marriages of the Indians in 
general — Courtship — Contracts of Marriage. Stews, 
Sudatories, or Sweating -Houses. Polygamy. Pau- 
city of Children. Burial of the Dead. Manes. 
Food placed on Graves. Monuments. Persons of 
the Osinipoilles. Dress of the Women. Cruel 
treatment of Slaves. 

IN the morning-, we went to the hunt accordingly. 
The chief was followed by about forty men, and a great 
number of women. We proceeded to a small island on 
the plain, at the distance of five miles from the village. 
On our way, we saw large herds of oxen, at feed; but, 
the hunters forebore to molest them, lest they should 
take the alarm. 

Arrived at the island, the women pitched a few 
tents, while the chief led his hunters to its southern 
end, where there was a pound, or enclosure. The fence 
was about four feet high, and formed of strong stakes 
of birch-wood, wattled with smaller branches of the 



300 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

same. The day was spent in making repairs; and by 
the evening all was ready for the hunt. 

At day-light, several of the more expert hunters 
were sent to decoy the animals into the pound. They 
were dressed in ox-skins, with the hair and horns. 
Their faces were covered, and their gestures so closely 
resembled those of the animals themselves, that, had I 
not been in the secret, I should have been as much 
deceived as the oxen. 

At ten o'clock, one of the hunters returned, bringing 
information of the herd. Iramediately, all the dogs 
were muzzled; and this done, the whole crowd of men 
and women surrounded the outside of the pound. The 
herd, of which the extent was so great that I cannot 
pretend to estimate the numbers, was distant half a 
mile, advancing slowly, and frequently stopping to 
feed. The part, played by the decoyers, was that of 
approaching them within hearing, and then bellowing 
like themselves. On hearing the noise, the oxen did 
not fail to ^ive it attention; and, whether from curio- 
sity or sympathy, advanced to meet those from whom 
it proceeded. These, in the meantime, fell back delib- 
erately toward the pound, always repeating the call, 
whenever the oxen stopped. This was reiterated till 
the leaders of the herd had followed the decoyers into 
the jaws of the pound, which, though wide asunder to- 
ward the plain, terminated, like a funnel, in a small 
aperture, or gate-way; and, within this, was the poimd 
itself. The Indians remark, that in all herds of animals 
there are chiefs, or leaders, by whom the motions of the 
rest are determined. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 301 

The decojers now retired within the pound, and 
were followed by the oxen. But, the former retired 
still further, withdrawing themselves at certain 
movable parts of the fence, while the latter were fallen 
upon by all the hunters, and presently v/ounded, and 
killed, by showers of arrows. Amid the uproar which 
ensued, the oxen made several attempts to force the 
fence; but, the Indians stopped them, and drove them 
back, by shaking skins before their eyes. Skins were 
also made use of to stop the entrance, being let down 
by strings, as soon as the oxen were inside. The 
slaughter was prolonged till the evening, when the 
hunters returned to their tents, l^ext morning, all the 
tongues were presented to the chief, to the number of 
seventy- two. ^ 

The women brought the meat to the village, on 
sledges drawn by dogs. The lumps on the shoulders, 
and the hearts, as well as the tongues, were set apart 
for feasts; while the rest was consumed as ordinary 
food, or dried, for sale at the fort. 



1 Buffalo pounds were numerous throughout the North -West 
before the extermination of this noble animal. The description 
which Henry gives is almost identical with that of other 
travellers, both among the Crees and Dakotans. Very full 
details, with illustrations of the shape and character of the 
pounds, with the method of driving the animals, will be found 
in Umfreville's Hudson Bay, p 160 ; Franklin's Journey to the 
Polar Sea, 1819-22, p. 112 ; and Hind's Canadian Exploring 
Expedition, vol. 1, p. 358. In the North- West rebellion of 
1885, which broke out in the district where Henry had travel- 
led , one of the prominent Cree chiefs was called Poundmaker. 



302 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

II. The time was now passed in dancing and 
festivity, iu all quarters of tlie village. On the even- 
ing of the day after the hunt, the chief came to our 
tent, bringing with him about twenty men, and as 
many women, who separately seated themselves as be- 
fore; but, they now brought musical instruments, and, 
soon after their arrival, began to play. The instru- 
ments consisted principally in a sort of tambourine, 
and a gourd filled with stones, which several per- 
sons accompanied by shaking two bones together ; 
and others with bunches of deer-hoofs, fastened to the 
end of a stick. Another instrument was one that was 
no more than a piece of wood, of three feet, with 
notches cut on its edge. The performer drew a stick 
backward and forward, along the notches, keeping 
time. The women sung; and the sweetness of their 
voices exceeded whatever I had heard before.- 

This entertainment lasted upward of an hour; and 
when it was finished a dance commenced. The men 
formed themselves into a row on one side, and the 
women on the other; and each moved sidewise, fiirst up, 
and then down the room. The sound of bells and other 
jingling materials, attached to the women's dresses, 
enabled them to keep time. The songs and dances 
were continued alternately, till near midnight, when 
all our visitors departed. 

These amusements were given to us compliment- 



2 Illustrations showing these different instruments will be 
found in Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes of the United States, Part 
II, p. 514. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 303 

arily, by the chief. He took no part in the perform- 
ances himself; but, sat smoking while they proceeded. 

III. It had been my wish to go further on the 
Plains, till I should have reached the mountains, at 
the feet of which, as I have already observed, they 
lie; but, the chief informed me, that the latter were 
still at the distance of many days' journey, and that 
the intervening country was a tract destitute of the 
least appearance of wood. In the winter, as he as- 
serted, this tract cannot be crossed at all; and in the 
summer, the traveller is in great danger of perishing 
for want of water; and the only fuel to be met with 
is the dung of the wild ox. It is intersected by a large 
river, which runs to the sun's rising, and which has 
its sources in the mountains. 

With regard to the country of the Osinipoilles, he 
said, that it lay between the head of the Pasquayah, 
or Sascatchiwaine, and the country of the Sioux, or 
Nadowessies, who inhabit the heads of the Missisipi. 
On the west, near the mountains, were the Snake In- 
dians and Black-feet, troublesome neighbours, by 
whose hands numbers of his warriors fell. 

The Osinipoilles have many villages, composed of 
from one to two hundred tents each. Few exceed 
the latter number. They often go to the moun- 



^ The distance is about 400 miles in an airline and the prairie is 
intersected by the South Saskatchewan, with its tributaries the 
Red Deer and Bow Rivers. The North Saskatchewan also has 
its rise at the base of the Rocky Mountains and flows north 
before turning east. 



304 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

tains, on war-parties, and always on horseback. Wlieii 
the great chief intends to go to war, he sends mes- 
eengers to the several villages, directing the warriors 
to meet him at an appointed place and time. With 
regard to the latter, it is described by the moon, as 
the beginning, full, or end. In obedience to the sum- 
mons, they assemble in greater numbers than can be 
counted,* armed with the bow, sling and spear, and 
with quivers full of arrows. — They have still another 
weapon, formed of a stone of about two pounds weight, 
which is sewed in leather, and made fast to a wooden 
handle, two feet long. In using it, the stone is whirled 
round the handle, by a warrior sitting on horseback, 
and attacking at full speed. Every stroke, which 
takes effect, brings down a man, or horse; or, if used 
in the chase, an ox. To prevent the weapon from 
slipping out of the hand, a string, which is tied to the 
handle, is also passed round the wrist of the wearer.* 
The horses of the Osinipoilles were originally pro- 
cured from white people, with beards, who live to the 
southward; that is, the Spanish colonists, in ITew 
Mexico. 

The animals, which I saw alive on the Plains, are 
oxen, red-deer and wolves; but, I saw also the skins 

*Thi8 was the chief's expression. 



* This primitive weapon was known to the traders as acasse 
tite, or war club, and was gradually superseded by those 
of wood, curiously carved, and with a spike of iron imbedded in 
tho ball or bulb at the end. Carver, in his Travels in North 
America, p. 296, gives an illustration of the earlier form. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 305 

of foxes, bears, and a small number of panthers, some- 
times called tigers, and most properly, cougars * 

IV. In their religious notions, as well as in their 
dress, arms and other particulars, there is a general 
agreement between the Osinipoilles and the Cristin- 
aux.t They believe in a creator and governor of the 
world, in a future life, and in the spirits, gods, or 
manitos, whom they denominate wakons.^ Their prac- 
tices of devotion consist in the singing of songs, ac- 
companied by the drum, or rattle, or both; and the 
subjects of which are prayers and praises: in smoking- 
f easts, or feasts of the pipe, or calumet, held in honour 
of the spirits, to whom the smoke of tobacco is sup- 
posed to be a most acceptable incense; and in other 
feasts, as well as in fasts and in sacrifices. The vic- 
tims of sacrifice are usually dogs, which being killed, 
and hung upon poles, are left there to decay, 

V. Many travellers have described the marriages 
* Felis concolor. 

t Such of the Cristinaux as inhabit the Plains, have also 
their horses, like the Osinipoilles. By language, the Osini- 
poilles are allied to the Nadowessies ; but, they are always at 
war with them. Of the language of the Nadowessies, Carver 
has given a short vocabulary. 



5 Manito, a Cree word meaning a supernatural being, with 
the attributes of holiness, a holy spirit, is the root of such 
compound words as Kitge-manito, the Great Spirit or God ; 
Matchi-manito, the evil spirit ; Manito-todtisiw, devotee, which 
are in the corresponding Dakotan words, Wa-kan, a spirit ; 
Wa-kan-tan-ka, the Great Spirit ; and Wa-kan-si-ca, the evil 
spirit. 
20 



306 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

of the Indians; but, as they have greatly disagreed in 
their delineations, I shall venture to set down such 
particulars as have presented themselves to my im- 
mediate view. Though inserted here, they have no 
exclusive relation to the Osinipoilles ; all the Indians, 
whom I have seen, having similar customs on this 
head. 

A young man, desirous of marrying a particular 
young woman, visits the lodge in which she lives, 
at night, and when all the family, or rather families, 
are sleeping on their mats around. He comes provided 
with a match, or splint of wood, which he lights among 
the embers of one of the fires which are in the middle 
of the lodge. The only intention of this, is the very 
obvious one, of finding, by the help of the light, the 
young woman whom he means to visit, and whom, 
perhaps, he has to awaken. This done, he extinguishes 
the light. In speaking to her, he whispers, because 
it is not necessary to disturb all the lodge; and be- 
cause something like privacy and secrecy belong to 
the nature of the occasion. If she makes no reply to 
his address, he considers his attempts at acquaintance 
as repulsed, and in consequence retires. If the young 
woman receives him with favour, he takes part of 
her mat. He brings with him his own blanket. — 
I consider this practice as precisely similar to the 
bundling of IsTew England, and other countries; and, 
to say the least, as not more licentious. Children, 
born out of wedlock, are very rare among the Indians. 

The lover, who is permitted to remain, retires be- 
fore day-break. When the young woman has con- 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 307 

sented to be his wife, he opens the affair to his own 
mother, by whom it is communicated to her's; and 
if the two mothers agree, they mutually apply to 
their husbands. 

The father of the young man then invites the 
father of the young woman to a stew, or sudatory, pre- 
pared for the occasion, and at which he communicates 
the wishes of his son. The father of the young wo- 
man gives no reply till the day following, when, in 
his own turn, he invites the other to the sweating- 
house. If he approves of the match, the terms upon 
which it is to be made are now settled. 

Stews, sudatories, or sweating-houses, are resorte-.l 
to for cure of sickness, for pleasure, or for giving 
freedom and vigour to the faculties of the mind, 
when particular deliberation and sagacity are called 
for. To prepare them for a guest, is, therefore, to 
offer every assistance to his judgment, and manifest 
the reverse of a disposition to take an unfair advan- 
tage of him: it is the exact opposite of offering him 
liquor. They are constructed of slender branches of 
trees, united at the top, and closely covered with skins 
or blankets. Within, water is poured upon a red-hot 
stone, till the steam produced perspiration.'' 



« The use of the sweating-house, or booth, was common to all 
the northern Indians and frequent reference is made to them in 
the Jesuit Relations. Harmon, who was among the Assiniboin 
in 1800, thus describes them : "The women make a kind of 
hut, of bended willows, which is nearly circular, and if for one 
or two persons only, not more than fifteen feet in circumfer- 



308 



TRAVELS AND [A.D. 



The terms are either, that the young man, as was 
most usual in older times, shall serve the father of 
the young woman for a certain period, (as for three 
years,) or that he shall redeem himself from this 
obligation by a present. 

If he be to serve, then, at the time fixed, he goes, 
accompanied by his father and mother, to the lodge 
of the young woman's family. There, he is desired, 
by her mother, to sit down on the same mat with her. 
A feast is usually served, and the young woman's 
father delivers a suitable speech. The young man 
is thenceforward regarded as one of his wife's family, 
and remains in the lodge accordingly. 

If, on the other hand, he redeems himself by a pres- 



ence, and three or four in height. Over these tliey lay tlie 
skins of the buffalo, etc., and in the centre of the hut 
fchey place heated stones. The Indian then enters perfectly 
naked with a dish of water in his hand, a little of which he 
occasionally throws on the hot stones, to create steam, which, 
in connection with the heat, puts him in a profuse perspiration. 
In this situation he will remain for about an hour, but a person 
unaccustomed to endure such heat, could not sustain it for half 
that time. They sweat themselves in this manner, they say, 
in order that their limbs may become more supple, and they 
more alert in pursuing animals, which they are desirous of 
killing. They also consider sweating a powerful remedy for 
the most of diseases. As they come from sweating they 
frequently plunge into a river, or rub themselves over with 
snow." Harmon's Journal, Andover, 1820, p. 64. See also 
Gatlin's North American Indians, vol. I., p. 97, for a description 
of a sweating-house among the Mandans and for illustration of 
one in use, p. 186. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 309 

ent, then his father and mother go along to the lodge 
of the young woman's family, carrying a present. If 
the present be accepted, they leave it, and return 
home; and, shortly after, the father and mother, ac- 
companied by their daughter, go to the lodge of the 
bridegroom's family, where the bride is desired to 
sit down beside her husband. The feast and speech 
are now made by the young man's father, and the 
young woman is received into his family. 

Every man marries as many wives as he pleases, 
and as he can maintain; and the usual number is from 
one to five. The oldest, in most cases, is the mistress 
of the family, and of the other wives among the rest. 
They appear to live in much harmony. Polygamy, 
among the Indians, conduces little to population. 
Eor the number of adults, the children are always 
few. 

VI. In naming a child, the father officiates, and 
the ceremony is simple. The relations are invited to 
a feast, when he makes a speech, informing the guests 
of the name by which the child is to be called, and 
addresses a prayer to the Great Spirit, petitioning 
for the child's life and welfare. 

VII. With respect to the burial of the dead, if the 
death happen in the winter-season, and at a distance 
from the burial-ground of the family, the body in- 
variably accompanies all the wanderings and journeys 
of the survivors, till the spring, and till their arrival 
at the place of interment. In the mean time, it is 



310 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

every-where rested on a scaffold, out of the reach of 
beasts of prey. The grave is made of a circular fomi, 
about five feet deep, and lined with bark of the birch, 
or some other tree, or with skins. A seat is prepared, 
and the body is placed in a sitting posture, with sup- 
porters on either side. If the deceased be a man, his 
weapons of war, and of the chase, are buried with 
him, as also his shoes, and every thing for which, as a 
living warrior or hunter, he would have occasion, 
and, indeed, all his property ; and I believe that those, 
whose piety alone may not be strong enough to ensure 
to the dead the entire inventory of what is supposed 
to be necessary for them, or is their own, are com- 
pelled to do them justice by another argument, and 
which is, the fear of their displeasure. A defrauded 
or neglected ghost, although invisible, can disperse 
the game of the plains or forests, so that the hunter 
shall hunt in vain; and, either in the chase or in the 
war, turn aside the arrow, or palsy the arm that draws 
the bow: in the lodge, it can throw a child into the 
fire. 

The body and its accompaniments are covered with 
bark; the bark with logs; and the logs with earth. 
This done, a relation stands up, and pronounces an 
eulogimn on the deceased, extolling his virtues, and 
relating his exploits. He dwells upon the enemies 
whom he slew, the scalps and prisoners which he took, 
his skill and industry in the chase, and his deport- 
ment as a father, husband, son, brother, friend, and 
member of the community. At each assertion which 
he makes, the speaker strikes a post, which is placed 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 311 

near the grave; a gesture of asseveration, and wliicli 
enforces the attention of the audience, and assists in 
counting up the points delivered. The eulogium 
finished, the post is painted,* and on it are repre- 
sented the number of prisoners taken, by so many 
figures of men; and of killed and scalped, by figures 
v^ithout heads. To these are added his badge, called, 
in the Algonquin tongue, a totem, and which is in the 
nature of an armorial bearing/ It informs the passing 
Indian of the family to v^hich the deceased belonged. 
A serious duty at the grave, is that of placing food, 
for the use of the dead, on the journey to the land of 
souls. This care is never neglected, even under every 
disadvantage of molestation. In the neighbourhood 
of the traders, dishes of cooked venison are very com- 
monly placed on the graves of those long buried, and 
as commonly removed by Europeans, even without 

* Hence, The Painted Post, the name of a village in 
Pennsylvania. 



'^ Totemism is a peculiar social institution existing among 
the Indians, by which nations are divided into several distinct 
clans, each with its emblem, consisting of the figure of some 
bird, beast or reptile. Thus among the Dakotans were the 
Black Bear gens, the Deer gens, the Eagle gens, the Beaver 
gens, the Turtle gens, the Crane gens, and others. All those 
who are of the same totem consider themselves as relations 
and are prohibited from intermarriage. " Each man is proud 
of his badge, jealously asserting its claims to respect ; and the 
members of the same clan, though they may, perhaps, speak 
difi'erent dialects, and dwell far asunder, are yet bound to- 
gether by the closest ties of fraternity." Encyclopaedia Brit- 
anica article, Totemism, Maclean's Canadian Savage Folk, p. 
596, Fifteenth Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, p. 213. 



312 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

ofience to those wlio placed tliem there. In situa- 
tions of great want, I have more than once resorted 
to them for food. 

VIII. The men, among the Osinipoilles, are well 
made; but, their colour is much deeper than that of 
the more northern Indians. Some of the women are 
tolerably handsome, considering how they live, ex- 
posed to the extremes of heat and cold, and placed 
in an atmosphere of smoke, for at least one half of 
the year. Their dress is of the same materials, and 
of the same form, with that of the female Cristin- 
aux. The married women suffer their hair to grow 
at random, and even hang over their eyes. All the 
sex is fond of garnishing the lower edge of the dress 
with small bells, deer-hoofs, pieces of metal, or any 
thing capable of making a noise. "When they move, 
the sounds keep time, and make a fantastic harmony. 

IX. The Osinipoilles treat with great cruelty their 
slaves. As an example, one of the principal chiefs, 
whose tent was near that which we occupied, had a 
female slave, of about twenty years of age. I saw 
her always on the outside of the door of the tent, 
exposed to the severest cold; and having asked the 
reason, I was told, that she was a slave. The inform- 
ation induced me to speak to her master, in the hope 
of procuring some mitigation of the hardships she 
imderwent; but, he gave me for answer, that he had 
taken her on the other side of the western mountains; 
that at the same time he had lost a brother and a son, 
in battle; and that the enterprise had taken place, in 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 313 

order to release one of Ms own nation, wlio had been 
a slave in her's, and wlio had been used with much 
greater severity than that wbicb she experienced. — 
The reality, of the last of these facts, appeared to me 
to be impossible. The wretched woman fed and slept 
with the dogs, scrambling with them for the bones 
which were thrown out of the tent. When her master 
was within, she was never permitted to enter; at all 
seasons, the children amused themselves with im- 
punity in tormenting her, thrusting lighted sticks into 
her face; and if she succeeded in warding off these 
outrages, she was violently beaten. I was not success- 
ful in procuring any diminution of her sufferings; 
but, I drew some relief from the idea, that their dura- 
tion could not be long. They were too heavy to be 
sustained. 

It is known, that some slaves have the good for- 
tune to be adopted into Indian families, and are after- 
ward allowed to marry in them ; but, among the Osini- 
poilles, this seldom happens; and, even among the 
Chipeways, where a female slave is so adopted and 
married, I never knew her to lose the degrading ap- 
pellation of walian', a slave *^ 

*This word, wakan, which, in the Algonquin language, 
signifies a slave, is not to be confounded with wakan, or 
wakon, which, in the language of the Nadowessies and 
Osinipoilles, signifies a spirit, or manito. 

' Baraga gives the Cree form as aiookkdn. Cameron says 
that the word slave was applied by the voyageurs and Indians 
to any for whom they had lost respect, and means " poor, 
miserable, without influence." Masson's Bourgeois du Nord- 
Ouest, vol. 2, p. 244. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Osinipoilles strike their Camp, and inarch for Fort 
des Prairies. Departure. Order of inarch. Join 
a second Gamp. Herds of Horses — their winter 
stations. Osinipoilles reach the Fort, and exchange 
their Skins and Provisions for Trinkets — their 
independence on Foreign Trade. Osinipoilles 
leave the Fort — their National Character. State 
of Trade on the Sascatchiwaine — prices of Europ- 
ean Merchandise there. Author leaves the Fort, 
on his return to Beaver Lake. 

ON the nineteentli of February, tlie chief apprised 
us, tliat it was liis design to depart the next morning 
for the fort. In consequence, we collected our baggage, 
which, however, was but small ; consisting in a buffalo- 
robe for each person, an axe and a kettle. The last 
was reluctantly parted with by our friends, who had 
none left to supply its place. 

At day-break, on the twentieth, all was noise and 
confusion in the camp; the women beating and load- 
ing the dogs, and the dogs howling and crying. The 
tents were speedily struck, and the coverings and poles 
packed up, to be drawn by the dogs. 

Soon after sunrise, the march began. In the van 
were twenty-five soldiers, who were to beat the path, 
so that the dogs might walk. They were followed by 



1776.] TRAVELS, &g. 315 

about twenty men, apparently in readiness for con- 
tingent services; and after these went the women, 
each driving one or two, and some, five loaded dogs. 
The number of these animals, actually drawing loads, 
exceeded five hundred. After the baggage, marched 
the main body of the men, carrying only their arms. 
The rear was guarded by about forty soldiers. The 
line of march certainly exceeded three miles in length. 

The morning was clear and calm. Our road was a 
different one from that by which we had reached the 
camp. We passed several herds of wild oxen, which 
betrayed some alarm at the noise of the dogs and 
women, resounding on every side. 

Our march was pursued till sunset, when we 
reached a small wood, the first that we had seen all 
day. The great chief desired Mr. Patterson and my- 
self to lodge in his own tent, and we accordingly be- 
came part of his family. We saw that his entire and 
numerous household was composed of relations. The 
chief, after smoking his pipe, determined the line of 
march for the next day; and his dispositions in this 
regard were immediately published through the camp. 

At day-break, our tents were again struck, and we 
proceeded on our march, in the same order as the day 
before. To-day, (to follow the phraseology of the 
Plains,) we had once land in sight, consisting in two 
small islands, lying at a great distance from our road. 
On our march, the chief informed us, that he proposed 
reaching another camp of his people that evening, 



316 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

and would take it with him to the fort. Accordingly, 
at about four o'clock in the afternoon, we discovered 
a wood, and presently afterward saw smoke rising 
from it. At sunset, we encamped near the wood, 
where we found a hundred tents. We were not long 
arrived, before the chiefs of this second camp paid a 
visit to the Great Road, who informed them of his 
intention to visit the fort, and recommended to them 
to join his march. They consented, and orders were 
given as usual, by a public officer. 

The night afforded me but little sleep, so great was 
the disturbance, from noises of all kinds; — feasting 
and dancing; the women chastising the dogs; the dogs 
of the two camps meeting, and maintaining against 
each other, the whole night long, a universal war. 

In the morning, the two camps united in one line 
of march, which was now so far extended, that those 
in the rear could not descry the front. At noon, we 
passed a small wood, where we saw horses feeding. 
The Indians informed me, that they belonged to one 
of their camps, or villages; and that it was their uni- 
form custom to leave their horses, in the beginning of 
winter, at the first wood where they were when the 
snow fell, at which the horses always remain through 
the season, and where their masters are sure to find 
them in the spring. The horses never go out of sight 
of the island assigned them, winter or summer, for 
fear of wanting its shelter in a storm. 

We encamped this evening among some small brush- 
wood. Our fire went out accidentally in the night; 



1776. J ADVENTURES. 317 

and I was kept awake by the cold, and by the noise of 
the dogs. 

In the course of the next day, the twenty-third of 
the month, we passed several coppices, and saw that 
the face of the country was changing, and that we 
had arrived on the margin of the Plains. On the 
twenty-seventh, we encamped on a large wood, where 
the Indians resolved on leaving the old women and 
children, till their return from the fort, from which 
we were now distant only one day's march. On the 
twenty-eighth, they halted for the whole day; but, 
we engaged two of them to lead us forward, and thus 
arrived in the evening at the fort, where we found all 
well. A large band of Cristinaux had brought skins 
from the Beaver River. 

JSText day, the Indians advanced their camp to 
within half a mile of the fort, but left thirty tents 
behind them in the wood. They continued with us 
three days, selling their skins and provisions, for 
trinkets. 

It is not in this manner that the ISTorthern Indians 
dispose of the harvest of the chase. With them, the 
principal purchases are of necessaries; but, the Osini- 
poilles are less dependent on our merchandise. The 
wild ox alone supplies them with every thing which 
they are accustomed to want. The hide of this ani- 
mal, when dressed, furnishes soft clothing for the 
women; and, dressed with the hair on, it clothes the 
men. The flesh feeds them; the sinews afford them 



318 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

bow-strings; and even the paunch, as we have seen, 
provides them with that important utensil, the ket- 
tle. The amazing numbers of these animals prevent 
all fear of want; a fear which is incessantly present to 
the Indians of the north. 

On the fourth morning, the Osinipoilles departed. 
The Great Koad expressed himself much satisfied with 
his reception, and he was well deserving of a good 
one; for in no situation could strangers have been 
treated more hospitably than we were treated in his 
camp. The best of every thing it contained was given 
us. 

The Osinipoilles, at this period, had had no ac- 
quaintance with any foreign nation, sufiicient to affect 
their ancient and pristine habits. Like the other In- 
dians, they were cruel to their enemies; but, as far 
as the experience of myself and other Europeans au- 
thorises me to speak, they were a harmless people, with 
a large share of simplicity of manners, and plain-deal- 
ing. They lived in fear of the Cristinaux, by whom 
they were not only frequently imposed upon, but pil- 
laged, when the latter met their bands, in smaller 
numbers than their own. 

As to the Cristinaux, they are a shrewd race of 
men, and can cheat, lie, and sometimes steal; yet even 
the Cristinaux are not so much addicted to stealing 
as is reported of the Indians of the South Sea : ^ their 



^ The Pacific ocean was long known as the South Sea, a name 
given to it by Balboa, in 1513, because the portion of the 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 319 

stealing is pilfering; and they seldom pilfer any thing 
but rum, a commodity which tempts them beyond 
the power of resistance. 

I remained at Fort des Prairies till the twenty- 
second of March, on which day I commenced my re- 
turn to Beaver Lake. 

Fort des Prairies, as already intimated, is built on 
the margin of the Pasquayah, or Sascatchiwaine, 
which river is here two hundred yards across, and 
flows at the depth of thirty feet below the level of its 
banks. The fort has an area of about an acre, which 
is enclosed by a good stockade, though formed only 
of poplar, or aspen-wood,* such as the country affords. 
It has two gates, which are carefully shut every even- 

* This fort, or one which occupied a contiguous site, was 
formerly known by the name of Fort aux Trembles. ^ 



Isthmus of Panama, from which he first saw it, lies east and 
west. Burney's Collection is called Voyages and Discoveries in 
the South Sea or Pa,cijic Ocean. In Juan de Fuca's doubtful 
relation, 1596, Michael Lok, is reported as saying, "that he 
would serve her Majepty in that voyage for the discovery per- 
fectly of the north-west passage into the South Sea." 
Umfreville after describing the country on the east side of the 
Rocky Mountains, says, the rivers " on the west side (i. e. the 
Columbia and Fraser Rivers) take a westerly course and 
evidently fall into the South Sea," Hudson's Bay, p. 149. The 
Indians of the coast of British Columbia and Oregon were 
notorious for their thieving habits. 

^ This was the voyageurs' name for the trembling poplar or 
aspen, Fopulus tremxdoides, which is the commonest tree in that 
quarter. 



320 TRAVELS AND [AD. 

ing, and has usually from fifty to eighty men for its 
defence. 

Four different interests were struggling for the In- 
dian trade of the Sascatchiwaine ; but, fortunately, 
they had this year agreed to join their stock, and 
when the season was over, to divide the skins and 
meat. This arrangement was beneficial to the mer- 
chants; but, not directly so to the Indians, who, hav- 
ing no other place to resort to, nearer than Hudson's 
Bay, or Cumberland House, paid greater prices than 
if a competition had subsisted. A competition, on the 
other hand, afflicts the Indians with a variety of evils, 
in a different form. 

The following were the prices of goods at Fort des 
Prairies : 

A gun 20 beaver-sldns. 

A Stroud blanket 10 do. 

A white do 8 do. 

An axe, of one pound weight 3 do. 

Half a pint of gunpowder 1 do. 

Ten balls 1 do. 

but, the principal profits accrued from the sale of 
knives, beads, flints, steels, awls and other small 
articles. 

Tobacco, when sold, fetched one beaver-skin per 
foot of Spencer^ s twist; and rum, not very strong, 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 321 

two beaver-skins per bottle: but, a great proportion of 
these commodities was disposed of in presents.^ 

The quantity of furs brought into the fort was 
very great. From twenty to thirty Indians arrived 
daily, laden with packs of beaver-skins. 



3 Almost all the tobacco sold by the Hudson's Bay Company 
and North-West Company was tightly twisted in the form of a 
black rope nearly an inch in diameter. Hearne and Mackenzie 
both speak of it as Brazil tobacco, a name applied to the leaf 
which came from Trinidad and the valley of the Amazons. 
The combination of strength and portability thus obtained 
rendered it a favorite with the fur trader. Todd and McGill, 
Montreal, advertise, 1786, for sale, " Spencer's best Roll and 
Cnrrut Toljacco," 
21 



CHAPTEE XV. 

Author arrives at Beaver Lake. tSuhsistence becomes 
scarce. ISwpply of Water-fowl. Voyage to the 
Missinipi. Voyage on the Missinipi toward Lake 
Arabuthcow, or Athabasca. Chepewyans — Dress 
— Manners — authority of the Chiefs, and their 
care of the People. Impositions of English Traders, 
and credulity of the Indians. Voyage from the 
Missinipi to the Grand Portage. Wild scene on 
Beaver Lake. Author, in company witlt Mr. Fro- 
bisher, arrives at the Grand Portage — and at 
Montreal. 

THE days being now lengthened, and the snow 
capable of bearing the foot, we travelled s'wiftly; and 
the weather, though cold, was very fine. 

On the fifth of April, we arrived, without accident, 
at Cumberland House. On our way, we saw nothing 
living, except wolves, who followed us in g-reat num- 
bers, and against whom we were obliged to use the 
precaution of maintaining large fires at our encamp- 
ments. 

On the seventh, we left Cumberland House; and 
on the ninth, in the morning, reached our fort on 
Beaver Lake, where I had the pleasure of finding my 
friends well. 



1776.] TRAVELS, &c. 323 

In my absence, the men had supported themselves 
by fishing; and they were all in health, with the ex- 
ception of one, who was hurt at the Grand Portage, 
by a canoe's falling upon him. 

On the twelfth, Mr. Thomas Frobisher, with six 
men, was despatched to the river Churchill, where 
he was to prepare a fort, and inform such Indians, 
as he might see on their way to Hudson's Bay, of the 

approaching arrival of his partners.^ 

The ice was still in tbe same state as in January; but, 
as the season advanced, the quantity of fish dimin- 
ished, insomuch that Mr. Joseph Frobisher and my- 
self were obliged to fish incessantly; and often, not- 
withstanding every exertion, the men went supper- 
less to bed. In a situation like this, the Canadians 
are the best men in the world; they rarely murmur 
at their lot, and their obedience is yielded cheerfully. 

We continued fishing till the fifth May, when we 
saw swans, flying toward the Maligne. From this 
circumstance, and from our knowledge of the rapidity 
of the current of that river, we supposed it was free 
from ice. In consequence, I proceeded thither, and 
arriving in the course of a dav's journey, found it 
covered with swans, geese and other water-fowl, with 
which I soon loaded my sledge, and then returned to 
the fort. 



^ Thus intercepting the Indians on their way to trade with 
the Hudson's Bay Company at their Fort at the mouth of the 
Churchill River. 



324 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

Tlie passage, toward tJie Churcliill, being thus far 
open, we left our fort on the twenty-first of May, forty 
in number, and with no ^eater stock of provision 
than a single supper. At our place of encampment, 
we set our nets, and caught more fish than we had 
need of; and the same food was plenty with us all the 
way. The fish were pickerel and white-fish. 

On the twenty-second, we crossed two carrying- 
places, of half a mile each, through a level country, 
with marshes on the border of the river. The sun 
now appeared above the horizon, at half-past eight 
o'clock in the morning"' ; and there was twilight all the 
time that he was below it. The men had but few hours 
for rest; for, after encamping, a supper was not only 
to be cooked, but caught, and it was therefore late be- 
fore they went to sleep. Mr. Frobisher and myself 
rose at three; and the men were stirring still earlier, 
in order to take up the nets, so that we might eat our 
breakfast, and be on our journey, before sunrise. 

On the sixth of June, we arrived at a large lake,^ 

- This must be a misprint as it does not agree with the con- 
text. The actual time of the sun's rising on the 22nd of May, 
in latitude 50° 30' is 3.45. Henry probably wrote half-past 
three. 

^ Henry's party travelled very slowly and were probably 
trapping on the journey between Beaver Lake and Frobisher's 
house on the Churchill River, a distance of about 100 miles. 
The large lake was doubtless the Lake of the Woods, immedi- 
ately south of the Portage de Traite, or Frog Portage, which 
Mackenzie calls the Lac des Bois, and gives its length as 
twenty-one miles. The same lake appears on Pond's map of 
1785, under the name of Lake Mineront. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 325 

wliicli, to our disappointment, was entirely frozen 
over, and at the same time tile ice was too weak to be 
walked upon. We were now fearful of detention for 
several days; but had the consolation to find our situ- 
ation well supplied with fish. On the following night 
there was a fall of snow, which lay on the ground to 
the depth of a foot. The wind was from the north- 
east. The Indians who were of our party hunted, 
and killed several elks, or moose-deer. At length, the 
wind changed into the southern quarter, on which 
we had rain, and the snow melted. On the tenth, 
with some difficulty, we crossed the lake, which is 
twenty miles in length, through a channel opened in 
the ice. On the fifteenth, after passing several carry- 
ing-places, we reached the river Churchill, Missinibi, 
or Missinipi, where we found Mr. Thomas Frobisher 
and his men, who were in good health, and had built 
a house for our reception. 

The whole country, from Beaver Lake to the Mis- 
sinipi, is low near the water, with mountains in the 
distance. The uplands have a growth of small pine- 
trees, and the valleys, of birch and spruce. The river 
is called the Churchill River, from Fort Churchill, 
in Hudson's Bay, the most northerly of the com- 
pany's factories or trading-houses, and which is seated 
at its mouth. By Mr. Joseph Frobisher, it was named 
English River. At the spot where our house was 
built, the river is five miles wide, and very deep. We 
were estimated, by the Indians, to be distant three 
hundred miles from the sea. Cumberland House was 



326 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

to the southward of us, distant four hundred miles.* 
We had the light of the sun, in sufficient quantity 
for all purposes, during the whole twenty-four hours. 
The redness of his rays reached far above the horizon. 

We were in expectation of a particular band of In- 
dians, and as few others made their appearance, we 
resolved on ascending the river to meet them, and 
even, in failure of that event, to go as far westward 
as Lake Arabuthcow,* distant, according to the In- 
dians, four hundred and fifty miles. 

With these views, we embarked on the sixteenth, 
with six Canadians, and also one Indian woman, in. 

* Called also Athapiiscow, aTul Athabasca.'^ 



* The Churchill River, rising in Methly Lake and flowing 
easterly nearly 1,100 miles, is the most important river empty- 
ing into Hudson's Bny. It is a beautiful clear stream of great 
volume, draining a long stretch of country lying between the 
watersheds of the Saskatchewan and Athabascan Rivers. So 
closely do these waters lie, that by crossing on the south the 
Portage de Traite, a distance of only 380 yards, the waters of 
the Grass River can be reached, which ultimately flow into the 
Saskatchewan, while in the North, the distance by the Methly 
Portage is only twelve miles between Methly Lake and the 
Clear River, which flows into the Athabasca. Numerous 
rapids interrupt the course of the Churchill, commencing im- 
mediately above tidal waters, which prevent navigation except 
by canoe. Frobisher's house was about 190 miles from Cum- 
berland House, and 750 from Hudson's "R:'-. 

The name is said by Father Lacomuts to signify " place 
of hay and reeds." 



1776.] ADVENTURES. :^27 

the capacity of a guide, in which service Mr. Frobisher 
had previously employed her. 

As we advanced, we found the river frequently 
widening into lakes, thirty miles long, and so broad, 
as well as so crowded with islands, that we were un- 
able to distinguish the main land on either side. 
Above them, we found a strait, in which the channel 
was shallow, rocky and broken, with the attendant 
features of rapids and carrying-places.'' This country 
was mountainous, and thinly wooded; and the banks 
of the river were continued rocks. Higher up, lofty 
mountains discovered themselves, destitute even of 
moss ; and it was only at intervals, that we saw afar ofi 
a few stunted pine-trees. 

On the fifth day, we reached the Rapide du Ser- 
pent, which is supposed to be three hundred miles 
from our point of departure. "We found white-fish 
so numerous, in all the rapids, that shoals of many 
thousands were visible, with their backs above the 
water. The men supplied themselves by killing them 
with their paddles. The water is clear and trans- 
parent. 



^ Ross Cox, in describing his passage down the stream from 
where Henry stopped to the Portage de Traite, says that : 
"they crossed sixteen lakes and passed upwards of thirty 
rapids." He tra\ with heavily laden canoes and took six 

days on the journey. Henry, going against the stream with a 
lighter load, took eight days but returned with the Indians in 
seven days. 



328 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

The Kapide du Serpent, is about three miles long, 
and very swii't.^ Above this, we reached another 
rapid, over the carrying-place of which we carried our 
canoe. At this place, vegetation began to re-appear; 
and the country became level, and of an agreeable 
aspect. Nothing human had hitherto discovered it- 
self ; but, we had seen several bears, and two cari- 
loux, on the sides of the mountains, without being 
able to kill any thing. 

The course of the river was here from south to 
north. We continued our voyage till the twenty- 
fourth, when, a laroje opening- being before us,* we 
saw a number of canoes, filled with Indians, on their 
voyage down the stream. We soon met each other, 
in the most friendly manner. 

We made presents of tobacco to the chiefs, and 
were by them requested to put to shore, that we might 
encamp together, and improve our acquaintance. In 
a short time, we were visited by the chiefs, who 
brought us beaver-skins, in return for which we gave 



^ Or Snake Rapid below Sandy Lake. It is about 170 miles 
from the place of starting. 

^ The exxtrance to Isle a la Crosse Lake. It is thus described 
by Captain Hood, Franklin's Journal to the Polar Sea, p. 184 : 
"Its long succession of woody points, both banks stretching; 
toward the south, till their forms were lost in the haze of the 
horizon, was a grateful prospect to us after our bewildering and 
uninterrupted vt)yage in the Missinipi." Fort Isle a la Crosse 
became an important station of the Hudson's Bay Company. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 329 

a second present; and we now proposed to them to 
return with them to our fort, where we were pro- 
vided with large quantities of such goods as they 
wanted. They received our proposal with satisfac- 
tion. 

On the twenty-fifth of June, we embarked, with 
all the Indians in our company, and continued our 
voyage day and night, stopping only to boil our kettle. 
We reached our house on the first of July. 

The Indians comprised two bands, or parties, each 
bearing the name of its chief, of whom one was called 
the Marten, and the other, the Rapid. They had 
joined for mutual defence, against the Cristinaux, of 
whom they were in continual dread. They were not 
at war with that nation, but subject to be pillaged 
by its bands." 

® In his long journey, Henry, up to this point, had only come 
in contact with Ojibwas, Crees, and other tribes speaking 
different forms of the Algonquin language, with the exception 
of his short trip on the plains when he visited the northern 
division of the Siouan or Dakota peoples. He had now 
reached the southern boundary of another great division of 
the Indian people, known to the early traveller as Chip- 
pewayans, but more correctly designated by Ethnologists as 
Athapascans, Tinne, Dene or Den^-Dindjid. The more familiar 
tribes composing it are the Locheux, Hares, Slaves, Dog-ribs, 
Yellow Knives, and Carriers. Their northern territory ex- 
tended from Hudson's Bay to the Pacific ocean, and from the 
Churchill River, the li eight of land between the Saskatchewan 
and Athabasca waters, and the Fraser River on the south, to 
the Arctic ocean on the north, with the exception of the sea 
shore on the east, north and west, which were occupied by the 
Eskimo. In recent years they are estimated to number 



330 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

While the lodges of the Indians were setting up, 
the chiefs paid us a visit, at which they received a 
large present of merchandise, and agreed to our re- 
quest, that we should be permitted to purchase the 
furs of their bands. 

They inquired, whether or not we had any rum; 
and, being answered in the affirmative, they observed, 
that several of their young men had never tasted 
that liquor, and that if it was too strong it would 
affect their heads. Our rum was in consequence sub- 
mitted to their judgment; and, after tasting it several 
times, they pronounced it to be too strong, and re- 
quested that we would order a part of the spirit to 
evaporate. We complied, by adding more water, to 
what had received a large proportion of that element 
before ; and, this being done, the chiefs signified 
their approbation. 



about 16,000 souls. These northern Dene are generally a 
pusillanimous, timid, and cowardly race, who have been steadily 
driven back by the Crees, thsir neighbours on the south, but 
personally gentle in disposition, remarkable for their honesty, 
very poor, and are to-day ;practically christianized. Their 
language, beliefs, manners and customs have been described by 
several writers, in addition to the earlier narratives of Hearne, 
Mackenzie, and Richardson, the principal of whom are, Hale, 
Tinneh People and their Language, in his Language as a Test 
of Mental Capacity ; Gibb's, Tinneh or Chippeway People of 
British and Russian America, Report of Smithsonian Institute, 
1886 ; Rev. A. G. Morice, Western Dene, Dene language. Dene 
roots, and other papers in the Transactions of tlie Canadian 
Institute, 1888 to 1901 ; and Rev. E. Petitot, Monographie des 
Dene-Dindjie, Paris, 1876. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 331 

We remarked, that no other Indian approached our 
house, while the chiefs were in it. The chiefs ob- 
served to us, that their young men, while sober, would 
not be guilty of any irregularity; but, that lest, when 
in liquor, they should be troublesome, they had or- 
dered a certain number not to drink at all, but main- 
tain a constant guard. We found their orders punc- 
tually obeyed; and not a man attempted to enter our 
house, during all the night. I say, all the night; be- 
cause it was in the course of this night, the next day, 
and the night following, that our traffic was pursued 
and finished. The Indians delivered their skins at a 
small window, made for that purpose, asking, at the 
same time, for the different things they wished to 
purchase, and of which the prices had been previously 
settled with the chiefs. Of these, some were higher 
than those quoted from Fort des Prairies. 

On the third morning, this little fair was closed; 
and, on making up our packs, we found, that we had 
purchased twelve thousand beaver-skins, besides large 
numbers of otter and marten. 

Our customers were from Lake Arabuthcow, of 
which, and the surrounding country, they were the 
proprietors, and at which they had vdntered. They 
informed us, that there was, at the further end of 
that lake, a river, called Peace Eiver, which descended 
from the Stony or Pocky Mountains, and from which 
mountains the distance to the salt lake, meaning the 
Pacific Ocean, was not great; that the lake emptied it- 
self by a river, which ran to the northward, which 



332 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

they called Kiratchinini Sibi* or Slave River,t and 
which flows into another lake, called by the same 
name; but, whether this lake was or was not the sea, 
or whether it emptied itself or not into the sea, they 
were unable to say.'" They were at war with the In- 
dians who live at the bottom of the river, where the 
water is salt. They also made war on the people be- 
yond the mountains, toward the Pacific Ocean, to 
which their warriors had frequently been near enough 
to see it. Though we conversed with these. people in 
* Or Y-atch-inini Sipi. 

t These are the rivers which have since been explored by 
Sir Alexander Mackenzie, 

^*' Without knowing it, Henry was close to the south-east 
boundary of one of the largest water systems of North America. 
The Athabasca Itiver, flowin;? from its source in 52*^ 20' north 
latitude, is about 780 miles lonij and pours its waters into Lake 
Athabasca, which is in itself 190 miles long and from five to 
fifty-five miles wide. The discharge is northerly through the 
Slave River, which empties into Great Slave Lake. This lake 
is 300 miles long with an average width of forty-six miles, 
and from it flows the Mackenzie for about 1,000 miles, until 
it reaches the Arctic ocean. The Mackenzie is a noble stream 
draining an area of 677,000 square miles, and is never less 
than half a mile wide. The Peace River is one of its tributaries 
entering the Slave River, just north of Lake Athabasca, after 
flowing in an easterly direction for 1,067 miles. Its source is 
Summit Lake, to the westward of the Rocky Mountains, and 
seven miles and a half from the Fraser River, which enters 
the Straits of Georgia after a southern course of nearly 500 
miles. An air line from the source of the Peace River to the 
Pacific would be about 370 miles. The so-called "Indians 
near the sea," with whom the Chipewayans made war were 
undoubtedly Eskimo. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 333 

the Cree, or Cristinaux language, which is the usual 
medium of communication, they were Chepewyans, 
or Rocky Mountain Indians. 

They were in possession of several ultramontane 
prisoners, two of whom we purchased: one, a woman 
of twenty-five years of age; and the other, a boy of 
twelve. They had both been recently taken, and were 
unable to speak the language of their masters. They 
conversed with each other in a language exceedingly 
agreeable to the ear, composed of short words, and 
spoken with a quick utterance. We gave for each a 
gun. 

The dress of the Chepewyans nearly resembled that 
of the Cristinaux; except that it was composed of 
beaver and marten-skins, instead of those of the ox 
and elk. "We found these people orderly and unofiend- 
ing; and they appeared to consider the whites as crea- 
tures of a superior order, to whom every thing is 
known. 

The women were dirty, and very inattentive to 
their whole persons, the head excepted, which they 
painted with red ochre, in defect of vermilion. Both 
themselves and their husbands for them, were for- 
ward in seeking a loose intercourse with the Euro- 
peans. The former appeared vain of solicitation, and 
having first obtained the consent of their husbands, 
afterward communicated to them their success. The 
men, who no doubt thought with the Cristinaux on 
this subject,* were the first to speak in behalf of their 

* See page 249. 



334 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

wives; and were even in the practice of carrying them 
to Hudson's Bay, a journey of many hundred miles, 
on no other errand. 

Having been fortunate enough to administer medi- 
cal relief to one of these Indians, during their stay, 
I came to be considered as a physician, and found 
that this was a character held in high veneration. 
Their solicitude and credulity, as to drugs and nos- 
trums, had exposed them to gross deceptions, on the 
part of the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
One of the chiefs informed me, that he had been at 
the Bay the year before, and there purchased a quan- 
tity of medicines, which he would allow me to in- 
spect. Accordingly, he brought a bag, containing 
numerous small papers, in which I found lumps of 
white sugar, grains of cofFee, pepper, allspice, cloves, 
tea, nutmegs, ginger and other things of this kind, 
sold as specifics against evil spirits, and against the 
dangers of battle; as giving power over enemies, and 
particularly the white bear,^^ of which the Indians in 

" That the Grisly Bear, Ursns Ferox, is intended is evident, 
as it was the most dangerous animal they hunted. "This 
induced us to inquire more particularly into their opinions as 
to the several species of bears, and we therefore produced all 
the skins of that animal which we had killed at this place, and 
also one very nearly white which we had purchased. The 
natives immediately classed the white, the deep and the pale 
grizzly-red, the grizzly dark brown, in short, all those with the 
extremities of the hair of a white or frosty colour, without 
regard to the colour of the ground of the fur, under the name 
of hohhod, or the white bear." — Lewis and Clark's Expedition, 
Vol. 3, p. 215. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 335 

these latitudes axe mucli afraid: — otters were infall- 
ible against barrenness in women ; against difficult 
labours; and against a variety of otber afflictions. In 
a second parcel, I found small prints; the identical 
ones, which, in England, are commonly sold in sheets 
to children, but each of which was here transformed 
into a talisman, for the cure of some evil, or obten- 
tion of some delight: — IsTo. 1. "A sailor kissing his 
mistress, on his return from sea;" — this, worn about 
the person of a gallant, attracted, though concealed, 
the affections of the sex! ISTo, 2. " A soldier in arms;" 
— this poured a sentiment of valour into the possessor, 
and gave him the strength of a giant! 

By means of these commodities, many customers 
were secured to the company; and even those Indians, 
who shortened their voyage by dealing with us, sent 
forward one canoe, laden with beaver-skins, to pur- 
chase articles of this kind, at Cumberland House. I 
did not venture to dispute their value. 

This part of our commercial adventure completed, 
Mr, Frobisher and myself left the remainder of our 
merchandise in the care of Mr. Thomas Frobisher, 
who was to proceed with them to Lake Arabuthcow; 
and, on the fourth of July, set out on our return to 
the Grand Portage. 

In recrossing Beaver Lake, the wind obliged us to 
put into a bay which I had not visited before. Taking 
^y S^^, I went into the woods, in search of game; 
but, I had not advanced more than half a mile, when 



336 TRAVELS AND [A.D. 

I found the country almost inaccessible, by reason 
of masses of rock, which were scattered in all direc- 
tions : some were as large as houses, and lay as if they 
had been first thrown into the air, and then suffered to 
fall into their present posture. By a circuitous route, 
I at last ascended the mountain, from one side of 
which they had fallen; the whole body was fractured, 
and separated by large chasms. In some places, parts 
of the mountain, of half an acre in surface, were 
raised above the general level. It was a scene for 
the warfare of the Titans, or for that of Milton's 
angels ! 

The river, which, when we first arrived at Cumber- 
land House, had run with a swift current into the 
Sascatchiwaine, now ran in a contrary direction, to- 
ward the lake. This was owing to the rise of water in 
the Sascatchiwaine, from which same cause all the low- 
lands were at this time overflowed. 

Our twilight nights continued till we were to the 
southward of Lake Winipegon. The weather was so 
favourable, that we crossed that lake in sis days ; 
though, in going, it took us thirty. 

On an island in the Lake of the Woods, we saw 
several Indians, toward whom we made, in hopes to 
purchase provisions, of which we were much in want; 
and whom we found full of a story, that some strange 
nation had entered Montreal, taken Quebec, killed 
all the English, and would certainly be at the Grand 
Portage before we arrived there. 



1776.] ADVENTURES. 337 

On my remarking to Mr. Frobisher, tliat I sus- 
pected tiie Basionnais (Bostonians, or Englisli colo- 
nists) had been doing some miscbief in Canada, tbe 
Indians directly exclaimed, " Yes ; tbat is tbe name, 
Basionnais.^' — Tbey were lately from tbe Grand 
Portage, and appeared seriously apprebensive tbat tbe 
Basionnais were coming into tbe nortb-west.* 

At tbe Forks of tbe River a la Pluie, tbere were a 
large number of Indians, under a friendly cbief /^ with 
which latter I bad bad a previous acquaintance. On 
my visiting him, be told me, tbat tbere was bad news ; 
and then repeated tbe story which we bad beard on tbe 
Lake of the "Woods, adding, tbat some of his young 
men were evil inclined, and tbat be wished us immedi- 
ately to depart. "We were not deaf to tbe admonition, 
of tbe grounds of which we staid long enough to be 
convinced. We were roughly importuned for rum; 
and one of the Indians, after we had embarked, 
fetched his gun, and fired at us twice, but without 
effect. 

Ko further accident attended our voyage to tbe 
Grand Portage, from which place we pursued the 
route to Montreal, where we arrived on the fifteenth 
of October. "We found the province delivered from 

* Bastonnais (Bostonnais, Bostonians) is the name by which 
the Canadians describe all the inhabitants of the English 
colonies, now the United States ; and in the north-west, the 
English traders commonly use the French language. 



^''Ante, page 240. 
22 



338 TRAVELS, ETC. [1776. 

the irruption of the colonists, and protected by the 
forces of General Burgoyue." 



" An interval of fifteen years and two months had elapsed 
since Henry set out in August, 1761, from Montreal on his 
fur-trading expedition. At the time of his departure, the con- 
quest of Canada was complete, but the treaty of Paris was 
not signed for eighteen months after. During the period of 
his absence, the troubles between the English colonies and the 
mother country had culminated in war. Arnold and Mont- 
gomery at the head of a small army of Americans had entered 
Canada, in October, 1775, captured Montreal in November 
and beseiged Quebec, during the winter of 1775-76. Mont- 
gomery was killed on January 1st, and in May the Americans 
gave up the seige and retreated from the country. During this 
period from October to May, Henry had been on the Sas- 
katchewan and Churchill Rivers, so that nearly a year had 
elapsed before the tidings reached him. News travelled so 
slowly in the Indian country, that the Indians at the Lake 
of the Woods had not heard in the end of July of the de- 
parture of the Americans in May. 



THE END. 



INDEX 



Ainse, Mr., xxv 

Alaska, 265 

Abitibi Lake, 252 

Albany, N.Y., I., 3, 11 

Albany Fort, 232 

Alberta Territory, 249, 277 

Alberton, Ont., 240 

Algonquins of Oka, 17, 23 

Alnwick, Mississaga Indians at, 

35 

Amherst, General, i 

Amicwac Indians, 36 

Anse k la Peche, 198 

Arnold, Benedict, 338 

Arabuthcow, see Athabasca 

Ashland County, Wisconsin, 187 

Aspen, 319 

Assiniboine Indians, 277; method 
of travelling-, 281 ; messen- 
gers from, 285 ; lodges, 288 ; 
hospitality, 289 ; weepers, 
291 ; feasts, 293 ; women, 
293 ; guards, 294 ; horses, 295; 
dances, 302 ; country, 303 ; 
arms, 304 ; religious beliefs, 
305 ; language, 305 ; marriage, 
306; children, 309; burial rites, 
309 ; appearance, 312 ; treat- 
ment of slaves, 312 

Assiniboia Territory, 277 

Astor, J. J., xxiii 

Athabasca, 208, 251, 255, 326, 

331. 335 
Athabasca River, 267, 332 
Athabasca Territory, 249 
Athapascan Indians, 329 
Aux Sables River, 122 

Baggatiway, or la crosse, 77 
Banks, Sir Joseph, xxviii 
Barrie, Ont., xxxi 
Basquia River, see Pasquia 
Bastonnais, 337 



Baxter, Alexander, 212, 220, 229 

Baxter, Mr., 228 

Bay des Puans, 52 

Bayfield County, Wisconsin, 187 

Bear, Grizzly, 334 

Bear feast, 137, 194 

Bear hunt, 134, 192 

Beaver, 123 

Beaver skin, standard of value, 

55, 184, 187 
Beaver Islands, 93 
Beaver Lake, 263, 264, 266, 267, 

322, 325, 335 
Bennett, Lieutenant, 228 
Big Elk River, Minnesota, 240 
Bigsby, John J., quoted, 237 
Big Stone River, 262 
Birth of child, 114 
Blackfeet Indians, 303 
Bodoine, John Baptist, 4 
Bone cave, 108 
Bonnet Lake, 244, 245 
Borron, E. B., 228 
Bostwick, Mr., 12, 89, 94, 

220, 229 
Bouquet, General, T56, 178 
Bourasse, Laurent, 92 
Bourbon Lake, 257 
Bourbon River, 255 
Boutchitaouy Bay, 37, 69, 

149 
Bradstreet, General, 175, 177, 

1 78 
British Museum, 224 
Buffalo, 283, 286, 317 
Buffalo Head, Lake Winnipeg, 

252 
Buffalo pound, 301 
Buffalo robes, 247, 284 
Bull's Head, Lake Winnipeg, 252 
Burgoyne, General, 338 
Butler, Sir William F., quoted, 

245 



103. 



113. 



340 



TRAVELS, ETC. 



Cadotte, J. B., 60, 61, 149, 153, 

184, 195 
Cadotte, Madame, 148, 155 
Campion, Etienne, 11, 34, 39, 40, 

43 

Canasadag-a, or Oka, 17 

Cannibal Indians, 199 

Cannon, English, at Michilimac- 
kinac, 41, 232 

Canoes, 7 ; method of building-, 
14 ; treight, 15 ; small, 236 ; 
stored for winter, 264 

Cap Lake,]245 

Cariboo, 210, 221, 328 

Carillon, 18 

Carrot River, 280 

Cataraqui, or St. Lawrence, 17 

Carver, J., quoted, xxviii., 46, 
164, 218, 227, 257 

Catamount, 145, 305 

Catlinite, 253 

Cedar Lake, 257, 258 

Chamberlain, A. F., quoted, 35 

Champlain, 30, 163 

Champlain, Lake, i, 11 

Charlevoix, 30, 163 

Chatique, 259, 261, 262 

Chequameg-on, 187, 188, 189 

Chimney Island, River St. Law- 
rence, 2 

Chipeways, 31, 38, 41 ; of Lake 
Superior, 48, 49 ; at Sault St. 
Marie, 62 ; language, 63 ; and 
Ottawas, 95 ; prisoners taken 
from, 96 ; prisoners restored 
to, 97 ; of Western Lake Sup- 
erior, 149 ; of Chequameg-on, 
187 ; Rainy River, 240 ; re- 
semble Crees, 247 

Chipewayan Indians, 329, 332 ; 
prisoners, 333 ; dress, 333 

Chaudi^re Fall, Rainy River, 
239, 240 

Chaudi^re Fran(jaise, 31, 32 

Chocolate, for food, 272 

Choctaw Indians, 80 

Churchill, Fort, 231, 253, 323 

Churchill River, 253, 254, 263, 

323» 324. 325, 326 
Cocking, Mr., 262, 268 
Copper, Lake Superior, 186, 196, 

204 ; larg-e mass, 225 ; cost of 



shipping-, 226 ; proposed ship- 
ment by Niagfara, 227 

Cornwall, Ont., 9 

Cox, Ross, quoted, 264, 327 

Credit Mississagua Indians, 35 

Cree Indians, 164, 208, 246, 248, 
318, 329, 333 

Creuse River, 25, 26 

Cristinaux Indians, see Cree 

Crow Indians, 293 

Cruickshank, Mr., 229 

Cuchoise, John, 92, 98 

Cumberland House, xxix., 261, 
268, 269, 322, 325, 335, 336 

Curry, Thomas, 258, 270 

Cuyahog-y River, xx 

Dakota Indians, see Sioux 

Davers, Sir Robert, 71 

Dawson, S. J., quoted, 234 

Dease, Mr. xxv 

Dt^charg-e des Sables, 23 

Deer, 133, 139 

Deep River, 25 

Delaware Indians, 156 

De la Barre, 233 

D^n^ Indians, 329 

Denonville, M., 233 

Des Allumettes, 25 

Detroit, x, 39 ; Pontiac at, 71, 
73, 78 ; canoes arrive from, 
107 ; seigfe, 148 ; party g-oing 
to, 156, 175 ; Shawanoes meet 
at, 178, 179 

De Troyes, 41 

Deux Joachins, 26 

Dog sacrifice, 107, 123, 142, 169 

Dreams, 149 

Dress of Crees, 247 

Drummond Island, 37 

Ducharme, Laurent, 72 

Duluth, D. G., 233, 234 

Du Moine, 26 

English River, see Churchill 

Erie, Lake, 13, 177 

Erie, Fort, 177 

Eskimo, 329, 332 

Etherington, Major, 68, 72, 73, 

89, 90, 94 
Evans, Rev. James, 249 



INDEX. 



341 



Farley, interpreter, 42, 50, 52 

Felton, John, xxix 

Ferris, Township of, 29 

Finlay, James, 258, 270 

Finlay River, 270 

Fire Nation, 201 

Fishing- Cove, Lake Superior, 198 

Fort Albany, 41 

Fort Alexander, 246 

Fort Bas de la Riviere, 249 

Fort Bourbon, 257, 259 

Fort i la Corne, 280 

Fort Churchill, 231, 251 

Fort Dauphin, 251, 263 

Fort EUice, 285 

Fort Frances, 240 

Fort Frontenac, destroyed, 2 

Fort Hayes, 41 

Fort de L^vi, 2, 3, 46 

Fort Nippeween, 275 

Fort des Prairies, 262, 270, 275, 

319. 331 
Fort St. Pierre, 240 
Fort de Trail, 254 
Fort William, 234, 241 
Fort William-Augfustus, see Fort 

L^vi 
Fort York, 256 
Franklin, Sir John, 249 
Fraser River, 329 
French River, 13, 32, 36 
Frobisher, Benjamin, 220 
Frobisher, Joseph, 253, 254, 263, 

264, 323, 324> 335 

Frobisher, Thomas, 253, 254, 263, 
264, 323, 325, 335 

Frog- Portag-e, 324 

Fur trade under French Govern- 
ment, 183 ; on Lake Superior, 
233 ; on Saskatchewan River, 
320 ; on Churchill River, 331 

Gag-e, General, 11 
Gens de Terre, 62, 207 
Gibson, Township of, 17 
Gloucester, Duke of, 229 
Goddard, Stanley, 49 
Gold, Lake Superior, 218, 221 
Goose Island, 37 
Gorrell, Lieutenant, 106 
Goulais Bay, Lake Superior, 198 
Grand Calumet, 24, 25 



Grand Chaudi^re, 19, 20 
Grand Portage, xviii., 48, 234, 

235' 236, 237, 241, 251, 335, 

336, 337 
Grand Rapide, Saskatchewan 

River, 256 
Grand River, or Ottawa, 17, 92 
Grand Sable, chief, 102 
Grand Traverse, Lake Michig-an, 

146 
Grant, Principal, quoted, 233 
Grass River, 326 
Great Hare, chief, 205 
Great Road, chief, 285, 292, 318 
Great Slave Lake, 332 
Green Bay, 52 
Grenville Canal, 18 
Grigfon's Recollections, quoted, 92 
Groseilliers, Sieur des, xviii., 

233.. 236 
Groseilles River, 236, 237 

Haldimand, Governor, 92 

Hamilton, Governor, xxv 

Hare River, 19 

Harmon, D. W., quoted, 308 

Haviland, Brig-adier, i 

Hawaii, xxxi 

Hayes River, 256 

Hearne, Samuel, 262 

Henry, Alexander ; birth, v. ; 
early history, v.; descent of St. 
Lawrence, xviii.; visits Eng-- 
land, xxi.; France, xxi. ; settles 
in Montreal, xxii.; g-eneral mer- 
chant, xxii.; King's auctioneer, 
xxiv. ; warehouse robbed, xxvi.; 
publishes book, xxvii. ; ware- 
house, Montreal, xxxii. ; death, 
xxiv.; accompanies Amherst's 
expedition, i ; accident on the 
St. Lawrence, 2; returns to Al- 
bany, 3 ; Fort Levis, 3 ; journey 
to Montreal, 3 ; camps with 
Indians, 4 ; attacked during 
night, 5 ; escapes, 5 ; takes 
shelter, 6 ; in canoe, 7 ; Lake 
Saint Francjais, 9 ; Les Cadres, 
10 ; M. Leduc, 10 ; reaches 
Montreal, 11 ; proceeds to 
Albany, ii ; obtains permis- 
sion to trade, 12 ; engages 



342 



TRAVELS, ETC. 



Henry, Alexander — Con fifiued. 
rrien, 14 ; embarks for Michili- 
mackinac, 16 ; Saint-Anne's, 
16 ; Indian mission of Saint 
Sulpice, 17 ; Longue Sault, 
18 ; Rideau Falls, 19 ; Grand 
Chaudi^re, 20; adrift in canoe, 
21 ; meet Indians, 22 ; Grand 
Calumet, 25 ; Mattawan, 26 ; 
crossing into Lake Nipissing, 
29 ; French River, 31 ; Lake 
Huron, ;i2 > warned of danger, 
34 ; reaches Michilimackinac, 
38 ; lives in privacy, 39 ; Min- 
avavana's visit, 42 ; speech, 43; 
relieved from anxiety, 47 ; dis- 
patches clerks to trade, 47 ; ar- 
rival of the Ottawas, 49 ; their 
demand for goods, 50 ; refusal, 
51 ; arrival of troops, 52 ; buys 
supplies, 54; goes to Sault Ste. 
Marie, 59 ; winters with M. 
Cadotte, 63 ; fire, 65 ; sets out 
for Michilimackinac, 66; 
famine, 67 ; arrives, 68 ; Wa- 
watam urges him to leave, 74 ; 
sees the commencement of the 
massacre, 78; escapes to Lang- 
lades house, 79 ; hidden in 
garret, 80 ; captured by In- 
dians, 86 ; attempt on his life, 
88 ; carried off to Beaver 
Islands, 93 ; rescued by 
Ottawas, 96; restored to Chipe- 
ways, 97 ; fate decided at 
council, 99 ; removed to Mich- 
ilimackinac Island, 105; sleeps 
in bone cave, 109 ; disguised 
as Indian, 112; at Saint Martin, 
121 ; hunting with Indians, 123;. 
at mourning feast, 128 ; lost in 
woods, 131 ; returns to Michili- 
mackinac, 147 , goes to Isle 
aux Outardes, 149 ; sails with 
Madame Cadotte to Sault St. 
Marie, 154 ; dresses like a 
Canadian, 154 ; Sir William 
Johnson's message, 157; 
Indians invoke Great Turtle, 
159 ; starts for Niagara, 165 ; 
insults rattlesnake, 166; storm 
on Georgian Bay, 169; arrives 



at Toronto, 171 ; crosses to 
Niagara, 172; received by Sir 
William Johnson, 172 ; joins 
Bradstreet's army, 175; Indians 
desert, 176 ; landed at Detroit, 
178 ; returns to Michilimacki- 
nac, 180; resumes fur trade, 
184 ; proceeds to Lake Superi- 
or, 185 ; Ontonagan, 186 ; 
winters at Chequamegon, 189; 
bear hunt, 192 ; successful 
trading, 195 ; winters at Sault 
Ste. Marie, 198 ; short of food, 
201 ; Michilimackinac, 202 ; 
goes to Michipicoton, 203 ; 
partnership with. Mr. Baxter, 
212; famine, 214; winters at 
Michipicoton, 216 ; visits the 
island, 217 ; mining company, 
220 ; Cariboo island, 225 ; 
mining on south shore Lake 
Superior, 226 ; mining north 
shore, 228 ; embarks tor the 
North-west, 230 ; at Grand 
Portage, 234 ; Rainy Lake, 
239 ; Lake of the Woods, 241 ; 
Lake Winnipeg, 245 ; joined 
by Peter Pond, 251 ; and by 
Frobishers, 253 ; Saskatche- 
wan, 255; pillaged by Chatique, 
259 ; Fort Cumberland, 261 ; 
to winter at Beaver Lake, 263 ; 
builds house, 264 ; starts for 
the plains, 267 ; starving, 271 ; 
Fort des Prairies, 275 ; starts 
on visit to Assiniboines, 281 ; 
meets messengers, 285 ; arrive 
at village, 288 ; receives hospi- 
tality, 289 ; invited to feast, 
290 ; makes presents, 296 ; 
buffalo hunting, 299 ; returns 
to Fort des Prairies, 314 ; 
leaves for Beaver Lake, 319 ; 
arrives, 322 ; leaves for Churc- 
hill River, 324 ; disappointed 
at trade, 326 ; ascends the 
river, 326 ; meets Chipeway- 
ans, 328; dispatch J. Frobisher 
to Athabasca, 335 ; return 
journey to Montreal, 335 ; 
alarmingtradings, 336; arrives 
at Montreal, 337 



X 



INDEX. 



343 



Henry, Alexander (grandson), 

XXX 

Henry, Jr., Alexander (nephew), 

vi., xxxi., xxviii., 235, 237 
Henry, Charles (grandson), 

XXX., xxxi 
Henry, Julia (daughter), xxx 
Henry, Julia (granddaughter), 

xxix 
Henry, Robert (nephew), xxxii 
Henry, William, vi 
Henry, William (son), xxviii., 

xxix 
Henry's House, xxix 
Hind, H. Y., quoted, 234, 236, 

237, 240, 243, 256, 259 
Holland River, Ontario, 171 
Holmes, Mr., 279 
Hood, Captain, quoted, 328 
Horses, 295, 316 
Howard, Captain, 179 
Hudson's Bay Company, xviii., 

xxxi., 212, 233, 234, 251, 266, 

323, 328 
Hudson's Bay Forts, 41, 231, 

243, 261, 262, 326 
Humber River, Ontario, 171 
Humboldt Township, Ontario, 33 
Humboldt, Assiniboia, 285 
Huron Indians, no, 180 
Huron, Lake, 29, 31, 32, 33, 179 

Iberville, Chevalier de, 41 
Illinois, 53, 179 
Indian burial service, 143 
Indians consult Great Spirit, 160 
Indian graves, 28 
Indian hunters, 22 
Indians at La Cloche, 34 
Indian Mission of Sulpicians at 

Oka, 17 
Indian mourning feast, 12S 
Indians of St. Lawrence river, 

4> 5. 6 
Iron River, 187 
Iroquois Point, Lake Superior, 

184 
Isle 4 la Crosse Lake, 328 
Isle du Castor, 93, 94 
Isle aux Outardes, 37, 149 
Isle Pontchartrain, 223 
Isle Royale,St. Lawrence River,2 



Isle Royale, Lake Superior, 218 
Issati, 291 

Jack-head River, Lake Winni- 
peg. 252 
Jemette, Lieutenant, 63, 78, 89 
Jesuit church at Michilimackinac, 

41 
Jesuit Missionary, 90 
Johnson, Sir William, 2, 57, 157, 

158, 162, 165, 172, 173, 178, 229 
Johnston, John, 225 
Jonqui^re, Marquis de la, 60, 257 

Kaministiquia, 234, 235 
King's Auctioneer, xxiii 
Kitchi manito, 154, 193, 305 
Knife Lake, Minnesota, 277 

L'Arble Croche, 48, 54, 95, 122, 

147. 165 
La Cloche Island, 33, 36 
La Corne, M. St., xxi 
La Crosse, 77 

Lac aux Claies, 170, 171, 176 
Lac des Ch^ts, 22 
Lachine, 12, 15, 16 
Lac des Chaudi^res, 21, 22 
Lac des Deux Montagues, 16, 17 
Lac des Outaouais, 191 
Lac 4 la Pluie, see Rainy Lake 
Lac aux Tourtres, 30 
La Hontan, quoted, 234 
Lake Dauphin, 280 
Lake St. Clair, 71 
Lake Saint Fran^ais, 2, 9 
Lake Saint Louis, 16, 17 
Lake Superior fur trade, 10 
Lake of the Woods (Churchill 

River), 324 
Lake of the Woods, 241, 336 
Langdale, M., 79, 81, 82, 85, 87, 

91, 92, 94, 95 
La Pointe, 191 
La None, 234 
La Salle, xxxi 

La Vt^rendrye, xviii., 234, 235, 246 
Les Cadres, 9, 10 
Leduc, Jean Baptiste, 10 
Les Fourches, Rainy River, 240 
Leslie, Lieutenant, 52, 89, 94 
L^vis, Chevalier de, i 



344 



TRAVELS, ETC. 



Levy, Mr., 107 

Longue Sault, Ottawa River, 18, 

19, 20 
Longue Sault, St. Lawrence 

River, 7 

MacGillivray, W. , 234, 251 

Mackenzie, Sir Alexander, quot- 
ed, xxxii., 14, 17, 226, 254 

Mackenzie River, 332 

Mackenzie, Roderick, xxviii 

Mackinac, 37 

McNeff, P., 228 

Madeline, Island, 191 

Maize, 36, 49, 54, 55, 122, 129, 184 

Maligne River, 263, 323 

Mamance Point, 202, 22S 

Manito, 305 

Manito-kinibec, 169 

Manitoba, xxviii 

Manitoualin Island, 36, 168 

Marie Antoinette, xxi 

Marquette, P^re, 40, 60 

Mascoutin Indians, 201 

Maskegon Indians, 26, 31 

Maskelonge, 30 

Masson, L. R., quoted, 254, 264 

Matawa Si pi, 27 

Matchedash Bay, 170 

Matchedash Indians, 170, 176 

Mattawan River, 27, 28, 30 

Maurepas, Comte de, 217, 246 

Maurepas, Isle de,see Michipico- 
ton 

Medicine men, ii6 

Memomonie Indians, 48, 105 

Methly Lake, 326 

Miami, Indians of, 178 

Mica Bay, 228 

Michigan, Lake, 40, 47, 48, 122 

Michilimackinac, Fort, xx., 10, 
12, 13, 14, 16, 34, 36, 40, 59, 
78, 96, 146, 175, 232 

Michilimackinac Island, 38, 105 

Michipicoton Bay, 204, 213, 219, 
231 

Michipicoton Indians, 208, 216 

Michipicoton Island, 217, 221 

Michipicoton River, 232 

Miette River, xxix 

Migeon, Jean Baptiste, xxxii 

Minavavana, 42, 43, 46, 98, 99, 1 1 1 



Minerond Lake, 324 
Mining company, 220 
Minnesota, State of, 235, 240 
Miscontinsaki Rapids, 59, 201 
Mississaga Indians, 35, 170 
Mississaga Point, 172 
Mississaga River, 26, 35, 55, 165 
Missisaka, see Mississaga 
Missinipi River, see Churchill 
Missouri River, 255 
Mitasses, 112 
Money, Value of, 14 
Montcalm, 92 

Montgomery, General, 338 
Montreal, i, 2, 3, 11, 13, 14, 17, 
41, 78, 103, 107, .184, 226, 251, 

270. 336, 337 
Montreal River, 228 
Moose, 265, 325 

Moose River, Hudson's Bay, 232 
Moose Fort, 231 
Moose River, Assiniboia, see 

Carrot 
Mosquitoes, 29 
Murray, General, i 
Musky Crees, 26 

Nadowessies Indians, see Sioux 
Nanibojou, 205 

Nanibojou Island, 204, 213, 223 
Nebecerini Indians, 30 
Nelson River, 256 
Nequagon Lake, 238 
Newmarket, Ont., xxix., xxx 
Niagara, Fort, 57, 156, 157, 161, 

162, 172, 175, 176 
Niblish Rapids, 59 
Nipawi House, 270 
Nipigon Lake, 233, 277 
Nipigon River, 232 
Nipisingue. see Nipissing Lake 
Nipisingue Indians, 30 
Nipissing Lake, 13, 23, 29, 30, 32 
Niverville, M. de, 257 
Norburg, see Nordberg 
Nordberg, Lieutenant, 224 
North- West Angle, 241 
North-West Company, xxv., 

xxvii., xxxii., 234, 246, 251 
Nova Scotia, Bishop of, xxx 

Oak-point, Lake Superior, 198 



INDEX. 



345 



Oak-point, Lake Winnipeg:, 252 
Ogfdensburg-, N. Y., 2 
Oka Village, Ottawa River, 17 
Ontario, Lake, 13, 171 
Ontonagan, 186, 195, 225 
Orig-nal, 265 
Osage Indians, 80 
Oswegatchie, see Ogdensburg 
Oswego, N.Y., 2 
Ottigaumie Indians, 48 
Otawas, see Ottawas 
Ottawa Indians, 12, 49, 95, 96, 

104, 180 
Ottawa River, 13, 17 
O'tossalon River, 37 
Otter's Head, Lake Superior, 230 
Outarde Lake, Lake Winnipeg, 



Pacific Ocean, 318, 331 

Painted Post, Pennsylvania, 311 

Pani woman, 79, 81 

Panther, 145, 305 

Partridges, 55 

Partridge Portage, 237 

Pas Mission, 254 

Pasquia River, 259 

Pasquayah, see Saskatchewan 

River 
Patterson, Mr., 254, 279 
Pawnee Indians, 79 
Peace River, 329, 332 
Pelicans, 243 
Pemmican Portage, 269 
Petite Riviere, 27 
Pic River, Lake Superior, 231 
Pic Island, Lake Superior, 232 
Pickerel, 265 
Pigeons, 13 
Pigeon River, 235, 241 
Pigitic River, 231, 232 
Pike River, 252 
Pilleurs, 243, 244 
Pinawa River, 245 
Pine Island Lake, 262, 263 
Pipe Stone, 24, 253 
Piwitic, 187 
Plays Plat, 232 
Point du Detour, 27 
Point de Grondines, 33, 166, 168 
Point St. Ignace, 40 
Point aux Pins, 220 



Point aux Mines, 227 

Pond, Peter, 251 

Pontiac, 12, 71, 96, 107, 157, 

175. 179 
Poplar, 276 
Porcupine, 139 
Portage des Ch4ts, 22 
Portage de la Chaudi^re, 21 
Portage des Chenes, 21 
Portage D'Argus, 24 
Portage Dufort, 23, 24 
Portage de la Grand Faucille, 32 
Portage de la Petite Faucille, 32 
Portage du Grand Calumet, 24 
Portage des Deux Joachins, 26 
Portage aux Outardes, 237 
Portage du Perdrix, 237 
Portage des Pins, 32 
Portage des Deux Rivieres, 26 
Portage du Roche-Capitaine, 26 
Portage du Sault du Recolet, 32 
Portage de Traite, 324, 326 
Portage i la Vase, 29 
Pot-holes, 31 
Potatoes, 219 
Potawatamie Indians, 105 
Pouchot, Captain, 2 
Prairies, 276 
Prescott, Ont., 2 

Quebec, 96, 233, 336 

Quebec Mining Company, 228 

Racoon, 123, 126 
Radisson, M., xxii. , 233, 236 
Rainy Lake, 236, 238, 239, 267 
Rainy River, 235, 239 
Rapide des Cadres, 2 
Rapide du Serpent, 327, 328 
Rat Portage, 243 
Rattlesnake, 166, 167 
Red River, 235, 257 
Repentigny, Chevalier de, 60 
Rice, Wild, 242 
Rice Lake, 35 
Rideau Falls, 19 
River Du Moine, 26 
River Saint Pierre, 48 
Riviere Creuse, 25, 26 
Riviere au Lievre, 19 
Riviere aux Morts, 254 
Riviere du Rideau, 19 



346 



TRAVELS, ETC. 



Riviere aux Tourtres, 236 
Robertson, Captain, 71 
Rocky Mountains, 331, 332 
Rouill^, Fort 171 
Rouille, Marquis de, 60 

Sac Indians, 77 

Saguenaum Bay, 148 

Saginac Lake, 238, 239 

Saint Esprit, Jesuit Mission at, 

191 
Saint Ignace Cape, Lake Huron. 

121, 149 
Saint Ig-nace, Lake Superior, 233 
Saint Joseph River, 53 
Saint Lawrence, 2, 7, 15, 17, 162 
Saint Lusson, Sieur de, 60, 153 
Saint Martin Island, 121 
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 48 
Saint Pierre, M. de, 257 
Saint Regis, 9 

Saint Anne, Ottawa River, 16 
Saint Claire Lake, 179, 180 
Sandy Lake, Churchill River, 328 
Sandusky Bay, 178 
Santee Indians, 291 
Saskatchewan River, 48, 254, 

255, 256, 258, 269. 276, 283, 303, 

319. 326, 336 
Saukie Indians, 48 
Sault de Saint-Louis, 15 
Sault au Recolet, 17, 32 
Sault de Sainte Marie, 59, 149, 

152, 180, 184, 185, 198, 213, 215 
Saulteaux Indians, 60, 176 
Sautor, 41 

Schlosser, Fort, 176, 177 
Schoolcraft, H. R., quoted, 40 
Scugog, Lake, 35 
Senecas, Indians, x 
Severn River, 170 
Shawanoe Indians, 157 
Shebawenahing, Lake Huron, 23 
Simcoe, Lake, 170 
Sioux Indians, 48, 105, 189, 194, 

277, 291. 295, 303, 305 
Slaves among Indians, 79, 81, 

27«. 313 
Slave River, 332 
Snake Rapid, Churchill River, 

328 
Snake used as medicine, 114 



Solomons, Ezekiel, 49, 90, 94, 103 

Soulanges County, 9 

South Sea, 319 

Stews, see Sweating-houses 

Stony Indians, 277 

Straits of Georgia, 332 

Stroud blankets, 116 

Sturgeon, 55 

Sturgeon Lake, 262, 263, 269 

Sturgeon River, Lake of the 

Woods, 239 
Sturgeon River, Saskatchewan, 

251 
Sturgeon Weir River, 264 
Sugar-making, 70, 211 
Summit Lake, 332 ■ 
Superior, Lake, 48, 184, 185, 

231. 239 
Swampy Crees, 26 
Sweating-houses, 307 

Taranto Lake, see Toronto 

Tearing River, 262 

Tetes de Boule Indians, 62, 208 

Tete de la Loutre, 230 

Thessalon River, 37 

Thunder Bay Point, 205 

Thunder Island, Lake Superior, 

235 
Tobacco, 321 
Tobacco sacrifice, 161 
Toronto Lake, 170 
Toronto Portage, 170, 171 
Toronto trading post, 171, 176, 

177 
Totemism, 31 1 

Townshend, Mr. Secretary, 229 
Tracy, Mr., 78, 103 
Tripe de roche, 214 
Trout, 55, 190, 201, 266 
Trout Lake, 28 
Turtle, Great, 158, 160 
Turtle Lake, 28 
Tutchet, Sir Samuel, 229 

Umfreville, Edward, quoted, 258 

Vaudreuil, Marquis de, i, 40, 92 

Waden, Mr., 251 
Wages of Employees, 14 



INDEX. 347 

Wagfoshense, Lake Michigan, Williamette River,Oregon,xxxiii 

95, 98 Winnipeg Lake, 235, 239, 245, 

Wakan, a slave, 313 250, 256, 336 

Wales, Prince of, xxxiv Winnipeg River, 217, 243, 244, 

Wapiti, 265, 282 245 

War club, 304 White fish, 55, 56, 61, 64, 190, 

Wawatam, 73, 74, 75, 76, 98, 99, 265, 324, 327 

102, 109, 121, 138, 147, 149, 154 White River, Lake Superior, 231 

Weepers, 291 Wood Indians, 62, 208, 231, 246 

Wenniway, 86, 87, 89, 90, 98 Wolves, 304 

Windigo, 201 

Winnebago Indians, 48 Yellowhead Pass, xxxiii 






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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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